Undertale: Choice
by Mysterie1985
Summary: The choices that can be made are what shape our world. For one child, making choices means the end of something and the beginning of something else... They are not alone. [WARNING! CONTAINS GAME SPOILERS! Inspired by Youtube vids; follows game play]
1. Prologue

Footsteps behind. Heart racing... was this finally it? Brushing past leaves, panting hard, the child pushed on into the cavern ahead and saw it... a gaping hole bigger than anything that they had ever seen... This was it. Mount Ebott's secret... it had to be. Vines grew down it and seemed to disappear into the darkness. With a single glance behind, the figure took a step back then ran forward and lept off into the chasm far below... Voices echoing in the distance...


	2. 1: Toriel

_W-where...?_ Slowly the child pushed themselves up. Bright yellow was the first thing they saw. Flowers? Pushing to a standing position, the child began to slowly take in the pillars around. Ruins of some sort... vines having crawled along them and up into the sunlight that bounced around the cavern and down into the hole. No turning back, a glance up revealed no way back up that way. Was that a door just ahead? Nothing hurt either... that was odd. The thought was dismissed, past the door there was a small clearing with another flower. A lone flower.

"Howdy!" A voice piped up. The child stared in silence.

"I'm Flowey! Flowey the flower!" Sure enough... and it talked... Did flowers talk? This one seemed to.

"Hmmm... You're new to the Underground aren'tcha?" _I am? Well... guess that's why nothing seems familiar. Right... I fell down here... ugh..._

"Golly, you must be so confused. Someone ought to teach you how things work around here." _How things work?_

"I guess little old me will have to do. Ready?" _I guess so..._

"Here we go!" It was like nothing that could be compared to what the few things the child had experienced before. A heart appeared to float in front, it glowed a bright red against the blue and yellow striped shirt.

"See that heart? That's your soul, the very culmination of your being." _My soul?_

"Your soul starts off weak, but it can grow stronger if you can a lot of LV." _LV?_ The question must have been written all over the kid's face.

"What's LV stand for? Why, LOVE, of course! You want some LOVE, don't you?" Who didn't? Love was the greatest feeling in the world, wasn't it?

"Don't worry, I'll share some with you!" White pellets seemed to float in the air above Flowey.

"Down here, LOVE is shared through... little white "friendliness pellets." Are you ready?" A nod.

"Move around! Get as many as you can!" Okay, that seemed simple. The pellets flew suddenly. They slammed into the child. That... hurt... a lot... Flowey grinned and suddenly the flower didn't seem so friendly anymore...

"You idiot. In this world, it's kill or **be** killed. Why would _anyone_ pass up an opportunity like this?!" So it had all been a trick... Flowey was going to... Oh but wasn't that the most scary of faces to ever be seen... was it more scary because it was on flower or simply because it looked so out of place on a flower in the first place... Suddenly the child looked around... surrounded by the white pellets... Nowhere to run... No escaping this... Was this how it was going to end? _Am... am I going to die here? So easily?_

"DIE!" Flowey laughed. Blood rushed through and something began to seep into every part... an... energy of some sort... The pellets closed in slowly, Flowey laughing gleefully... but suddenly something happened. The pellets vanished. A flame slammed into Flowey, knocking them away. Who? A... was that a goat? The figure resembled one... but stood up like a human and wore some sort of dress with a strange pattern on it. The dress was white from the looks of it and the strange pattern seemed to be some sort of shawl or something draped over it, it was purple and the pattern on it was etched in gold.

"What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth..." Who was this?

"Ah, do not be afraid, my child. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins." Afraid? Who was afraid? Okay, that flower had definitely done some damage; that had been unexpected but there was no fear and it seemed that this being's power had also healed everything. _Why can't I remember much? I feel like I have to get back home but... I don't really remember much about home._

"I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first human to come here in a long time." _So... I'm not the first?_

"Come! I will guide you through the catacombs." Well... at least this goat-lady seemed friendly enough and willing to be a guide, that was useful.

"This way." She walked off through a nearby door, the child followed behind. The next room had two sets of stairs and something sparkling in the leaves that were below a balcony above with the next door in it. _What's this?_ Approaching with careful curiosity, the child knelt down and touched the star-like sparkling object. It twinkled and determination filled the child as well as knowledge... this was what they called a "save point" where one connected a point in time, and a part of themselves, temporarily. The child wasn't sure what the point of that was but moved to follow Toriel through the next door and into the next room. There were several odd switches to the right side of the room and the door ahead was closed. Toriel looked at the child with a smile.

"Welcome to your new home innocent one. Allow me to educate you in the operation of the Ruins." She moved over and walked over four of the six switches in the room before going back to where she'd been standing; with the last of the switches activated, and a lever pulled, the door had opened.

"The Ruins are full of puzzles. Ancient fusions between diversions and door keys." Wait, what? _I didn't understand a word of that... but obviously to open doors you have to press buttons and that lever in this room._

"One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them." Okay, so it wasn't entirely wrong... _Solve puzzles, open doors... got it. I think._ The child moved over to the sign on the wall near the door:

Only the fearless may proceed.

Brave ones, foolish ones.

Both walk not the middle road.

Was that a clue to solving the puzzle Toriel had just done? Well, it didn't matter. Most of the rooms seemed to look the same... pale purple stone for walls, ceiling and floor. _Wonder what it's made from, never seen stone like this before._ Toriel was waiting in the next room patiently.

"To make progress here, you will need to trigger several switches. Do not worry, I have labeled the ones that you need to flip." She walked off down the room, there were several switches along the wall, the first was by itself and easy enough. Past it, however, were two switches, but like the first one it was clearly marked which one to pull; wasn't hard at all, as she had said she had marked them. There had been a sign on the wall across from the door, but it hadn't been useful, all it had said was "stay on the path." There was a thud once the second had been triggered, the spikes that had been blocking the path to the next room were gone.

"Splendid! I am proud of you little one. Let us move to the next room." She walked off, the next room didn't have a puzzle in it, just another door and what looked like a training dummy of some sort. It wasn't human in any sense of the word though as both its head and body were triangular.

"As a human living Underground, monsters may attack you. You will need to be prepared for this situation." _Attack? Oh man..._

"However, worry not! The process is simple. When you encounter a monster you will enter a Fight. While you are in a Fight, strike up a friendly conversation; stall for time. I will come to resolve the conflict. Practice talking to the dummy." She moved over to the door. Talking to a dummy? Well... okay... the child walked over to the dummy, it wasn't an ordinary dummy obviously; an aura seemed to surround it and suddenly there were four buttons floating in the air in front of the child who stared at each of them from left to right: Fight, Act, Item, Mercy.

This was bizarre... and there was the heart again... Flowey had said it was the soul... Staring hard at the dummy, there seemed to be a white one in front of it. Definitely NOT a normal dummy by any means. The child pressed "act" and then thought a moment as the buttons seemed to vanish a moment.

"Um... hi." The dummy didn't respond. Well it _was_ a dummy after all wasn't it? It wasn't exactly going to be much of a conversation. Toriel smiled though and feeling good about it, the child stepped back as the aura of the dummy seemed to fade.

"Ah, very good. You are very good." The child tilted their head to one side as she left, there was an echo... sort of... but it was like something different had been said... Shaking it off, they followed Toriel to the next room. Things down in the Underground were weird. That was probably all it was, there was no reason that hearing an echo of words that Toriel had not said should be seen as odd... or that voice that had seemed to echo: I don't have time to waste on a stupid dummy.

"There is another puzzle in this room." Like before, Toriel was waiting.

"I wonder if you can solve it." Toriel moved ahead and the child followed. Another puzzle? There didn't seem to be one in sight, what did she mean? They passed through the first room and that was when the child saw it... a monster hopped over. It was called a Froggit, apparently, as a Fight was initiated. Their very first Fight. Toriel came over, annoyed at the Froggit, it hopped away. There was a sign nearby:

The western room is the eastern room's blueprint.

What did this mean? They walked on until they came to a bridge of spikes. _Is this the puzzle she meant? Crap! I wasn't paying that much attention!_ Toriel turned.

"This is the puzzle but... Here, take my hand for a moment." The child did so and Toriel led them across the bridge safely.

"Puzzles seem a little too dangerous for now." She said once they were safely across. Once they were in the other room, she spoke again.

"You have done excellently thus far, my child; however I have a difficult request to ask of you." _A difficult request?_

"I would like you to walk to the end of the room by yourself. Forgive me for this." How was this difficult? Before able to giving voice to the question Toriel was off and soon out of sight. Well, nothing to do but as she had asked. It was simple enough was it not? As soon as they neared the pillar Toriel moved from behind it.

"Greetings, my child. Do not worry, I did not leave you. I was merely behind this pillar the whole time. Thank you for trusting me." _Why wouldn't I? You've been nothing but kind..._

"However, there was an important reason for this exercise... to test your independence. I must tend to some business, and you must stay alone for a while. Please remain here. It's dangerous to explore by yourself." How dangerous could that be?

"I have an idea. I will give you a cell phone." _Awesome! My own cell phone!_ Toriel handed over the phone.

"If you have a need for anything, just call." What was I supposed to do though if I ran into Flowey again? The child thought even as Toriel went on.

"Be good, alright?" That wasn't hard... waiting on the other hand... Toriel left. Now what? The thought of running into that awful flower made the child frown a little. Why had the flower been so mean and Toriel so nice? She was like... That was it! But... did they dare? The call was made...

"This is Toriel."

"Hi mom."

Huh? Did you just call me... 'mom'?"

"Mmmhmm."

"Well... I suppose... would that make you happy? To call me 'mother' ?"

"Uh huh."

"Well then, call me whatever you like!" The call ended. That was short... The child stood there for a moment... now what? Being alone was boring... so the child set off to the next room despite the warnings. As soon as they reached the other room the phone rang and they answered.

"Hello? This is Toriel. You have not left the room have you?" How did she know?

"There are a few puzzles ahead that I have yet to explain. It would be dangerous to try to solve them yourself. Be good alright?" The call ended before the child could respond. Well... back to exploring. The room above seemed interesting, there was a bowl full of candy in the other room with a sign that read: please take one

Without hesitation the child took a piece, thought about it a moment then walked out of the room. It had said "please" after all. Certainly one should never be greedy and take more than was asked. A froggit seemed to be sitting out in the open, the child thought it best not to bother them and proceeded to play in a pile of leaves before discovering another "save point" and touching it. Bored now, the child moved to go see what else they could find. These puzzles didn't seem too difficult really, what had Toriel meant? Then there was the room with a spike wall blocking the way and the cell phone rang again...

"Hello, this is Toriel." _Who else would it be?_ The child wondered.

"For no reason in particular... which do you prefer? Cinnamon or butterscotch?"

"Butterscotch."

"Oh, I see. Thank you very much!" The call ended.

"Well... that was odd." The child muttered to themselves. Two steps later and the phone rang again.

"Hello, this is Toriel. You do not dislike cinnamon do you? I know what your preference is but... would you turn up your nose if you found it on your plate?"

"Not really, but I don't like it all that much."

"Right, right. I understand. Thank you for being patient, by the way." Click. Another short phone call. Did she do this often? There was a sign on the wall:

Three out of four grey rocks recommend you push them.

Really? What a funny sign! There was a rock though and what looked like a switch pad... well okay, this was pretty easy too. The next room looked like it was full of possible holes... stepping on the first one they fell through to a second floor... dang it. Well... maybe the arrangement of these leaves here was a clue? The child went up the stairs they found and tried again. And again... third time was the charm apparently. The next room hand more spikes and three rocks. One went successful but the rock closest to the right side of the room spoke!

"Whoa pardner! Who said you could push me around?" The child almost giggled, this was ridiculous! A talking ROCK of all things!

"HMM? So you're asking me to move over?"

"Please."

"Okay, just for you, pumpkin." The rock moved, but it wasn't far enough. The child went over to the rock to say so.

"Hmm? You want me to move some more?" The child nodded.

"Alright, how's this?" The rock moved the wrong way.

"No, that's not the right way."

"Hmm? That was the wrong direction? Okay I think I got it." The rock moved over to the switch then, with the spikes lowered the child headed towards them but just before they got there the spikes were up again! The child went back to the talking rock again.

"Can you not move?"

"Hmm? You wanted me to _stay_ there? You're giving me a real workout." The rock moved back and the child went forward. Forward was the only way. The next room only had a mouse hole and a table with cheese on top of it. The room after that one was clear of puzzles, instead it looked like a ghost was lying on some leaves, blocking the path through. Who... or what... was this? The child moved forward carefully.

"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... are they gone yet?" The words were almost a whisper followed by more "zzz" afterwards. This ghost thing was obviously pretending to be asleep for some reason.

"Uh huh." The ghost still didn't move... nothing to do but try and force them to move. A Fight was started, the child gave the ghost a patient smile, dodging "tears" that came from the ghost.

"Heh." The child then told the ghost a joke to try and cheer it some more, but it only seemed to work a little bit.

"I want to show you something. Let me try... Do you like it?" The ghost's tears had made it a hat!

"You look really nice!" That seemed to stop the Fight.

"I usually come to the Ruins because there's nobody around... but today I met somebody nice... Oh, I'm rambling again... I'll get out of your way." Nastablock, the ghost, disappeared and the child continued on to the next room. It had a couple spiderwebs in it and a sign that read:

Spider Bakesale

All proceeds go to real spiders.

Well... why not? The child dug out the gold they had gotten that monsters had left behind after talking with them and dropped it onto the larger of the two webs. Spiders came down and left a jug of cider on the floor. Well then... that was so nice! The child picked it up and put the jug in their pocket. Maybe it would come in handy later. The child went back to the previous room and took a second door... there were only Froggits around, a tiny thing near the wall caught the child's eye and they moved over; it was a tiny Froggit! It was the size of an ant! How about that... The child headed for the door at the other end of the room only to hear the cell phone go off again.

"Hello? I just realized it has been a while since I cleaned up. I was not expecting to have company so soon. There are probably a lot of things lying about here and there. You can pick them up, but do not carry more than you need. Someday you might see something that you really like. You will want to leave room in your pockets for that." That seemed like good advice; the call ended and the child continued on. The next room had pillars and switches, the sign on the wall read:

The far door is not an exit.

It simply marks a rotation in perspective.

Okay... what was that supposed to mean?

The next room looked exactly the same... except the blue switch was hidden behind a pillar and the room seemed... to be a shift of perspective of the previous room. The sign near the exit said:

If you can read this, press the blue switch.

Well, okay. That was easy enough... Eventually the child came upon a big tree and could hear Toriel's voice.

"Oh dear, that took longer than I thought it would." She came around the tree, cell phone in hand then spotted the child.

"How did you get here, my child? Are you hurt?"

"A few bruises."

"There, there, I will heal you. I should not have left you alone for so long. It was irresponsible to try and surprise you like this." Surprise?

"Err... Well I suppose I cannot hide it any longer. Come small one!" Feeling better from being healed, they followed her to her home just a few feet away.

"Do you smell that?" She asked once they were both inside. Something did smell good.

"Surprise! It is butterscotch-cinnamon pie. I thought we might celebrate your arrival. I want you to have a nice time living here. So I will hold off on snail pie for tonight." _SNAIL pie?! Ugh..._

"Here, I have another surprise for you." Another? She led the child down the hall to the right and to the first door.

"This is it... A room of your own. I hope you like it." She rubbed the child's head, then something waifed through the air that wasn't so nice...

"Is something burning...? Um, make yourself at home!" _Home._ The child thought as they went through the door. Home seemed so far away now, and the room was nice really... but exhaustion set in and they decided a nap was a good idea... Upon waking up they found a slice of pie on the floor on a plate just waiting to be eaten. It was very delicious, but where was Toriel? The child explored the house and all it had to offer before finding Toriel in what looked to be a living room where a fire was keeping the room cozy. As great of a place that this was... it wasn't home. The child went over to her. She had on a pair of reading glasses.

"Up already, I see? Um, I want you to know how glad I am to have someone here. There are so many old books I want to share. I want to show you my favorite bug-hunting spot. I've also prepared a curriculum for your education." A what now?

"This may come as a surprise to you... but I have always wanted to be a teacher." The child didn't reply to that.

"... Actually perhaps, that isn't surprising. Still. I am glad to have you living here. Oh, did you want something?" The child nodded.

"What is it?"

"When can I go home?"

"What? This... this IS your home now. Um, would you like to hear about the book I'm reading? It is called "72 Uses for Snails". How about it?" The child wasn't particularly interested.

"No, how do I exit the Ruins?"

"Um... How about an exciting snail fact? Did you know that snails sometimes flip their digestive systems as they mature?" That wasn't very exciting...

"Interesting."

"Yeah," The child agreed, that was interesting, but that wasn't an answer.

"but how do I exit the Ruins?" Toriel looked from the book to the child.

"... I have to do something. Stay here." She set the book on the chair as she got up and headed down a set of stairs. The child, curious, followed; she had stopped a few feet away from the bottom of the stairs.

"You wish to know how to return "home" do you not?"

"Of course."

"Ahead of us lies the end of the Ruins. A one-way exit to the rest of the Underground. I am going to destroy it. No one will ever be able to leave again." What?! If that was the only way out...

"Now be a good child and go upstairs." _But if I do that... I'll lose my chance... no... I can't._ Toriel went further ahead and the child followed. She'd stopped again in what looked to be a long hallway.

"Every human that falls down here meets the same fate. I have seen it again and again. They come. They leave. They die." Die?

"You naive child... if you leave the Ruins... They... Asgore... will kill you." Who was Asgore? Why would they want to kill them? Was it because they were a child? Was it because they were human?

"I am only protecting you, do you understand? ... Go to your room." She moved further in and the child persistently, stubbornly followed. The hallway met another hallway, turning a different way. There stood Toriel.

"Do not try to stop me. This is your final warning." She moved on, the child followed; didn't she understand? They didn't belong here! This wasn't home... no matter how kind she had been. This wasn't the place for them, where there was no one else to talk to and nothing to do...

"You want to leave so badly?" She asked as the child caught up again, she stood in front of a pair of doors.

"Hmph. You are just like the others." Was that a bad thing? To want to go home?

"There is only one solution to this." She turned around.

"Prove yourself... Prove to me that you are strong enough to survive." The child took a step back but it was too late... Toriel's aura picked up and they entered a Fight. The child ducked and dodged all of her attempts. No matter what she did, the child did their best to avoid the flames she wielded and only offered her mercy in return, just as they had done each of the monsters that they had come upon. Eventually the attacks stopped, she looked very reluctant to continue the fight. The child simply showed her mercy the entire time.

"I promise I will take good care of you here. I know we do not have much but... We can have a good life here."

"But... it's not home." The child said quietly.

"Why are you making this so difficult? Please, go upstairs..." After a moment of silence she spoke again.

"Ha ha... Pathetic is it not? I cannot save even a single child. ... No, I understand. You would just be unhappy trapped down here. The Ruins are very small once you get used to them. It would not be right for you to grow up in a place like this. My expectations... my loneliness... my fear... For you, my child... I will put them aside." Her aura died completely and the Fight was over.

"If you truly wish to leave the Ruins... I will not stop you. However, when you leave... Please do not come back. I hope you understand." She knelt and hugged the child a long moment before letting go.

"Goodbye, my child." With one final glance behind her, she left the room and the child took a deep breath; trying to ignore what sounded like the echoes of someone panting... struggling to breathe... And an echo of a voice. It was time to continue the journey to return home...


	3. 2: Two Brothers

The child did not know what to expect, perhaps more flowers or sun... but what greeted them was a long hallway and another doorway that led to... _Oh no... not you..._ Flowey was blocking the path to the door ahead.

"Clever. Veeerrrryyy clever. You think you're really smart, don't you? In this world it's kill or be killed. So you were able to play by your own rules. You spared the life of a single person. Hee hee hee..." The child wondered if Flowey wanted to fight again... What did they want?

"I bet you feel really great." Sort of...

"You didn't kill anybody this time." This time?

"But what will you do if you meet a relentless killer. You'll die and you'll die and you'll die. Until you tire of trying. What will you do then?" That was a good question...

"Will you kill out of frustration? Or will you give up entirely on this world... and let ME inherit the power to control it?" No... there was no way they were going to let Flowey control anything, not if that was how they thought the world should be like.

"I am the prince of this world's future. Don't worry, my little monarch, my plan isn't regicide. This is **so** much more interesting." The flower laughed and then disappeared; the child stood there for a moment, thinking about what Flowey had said. Somehow... they had to fix whatever needed fixing and then get out of here... it just seemed wrong to leave the place to Flowey. The doors led out to not sunshine or flowers, but a snow covered forest with a worn path that they set out on. The path didn't seem to wind or anything; nothing seemed to happen really as the child walked through the forest. Well, that was until they passed a branch that wouldn't break when they'd stepped on. Just as they'd gone a few feet... it snapped. This startled the child a little. Was someone there? Looking back... there was no one... maybe it had just been an animal... but there weren't any animal tracks or normal animals in sight... feeling a little uneasy the child continued until they got to a bridge. Footsteps in the snow were clear... a deep voice rang out when the footsteps stopped just behind.

"Human. Don't you know how to greet a new pal?" A new pal? The unease was replaced by a sense of relief.

"Turn around and shake my hand." The child did so, coming face to face with a skeleton that was only a few feet taller, dressed in a blue hoodie, black pants and white shoes. A loud farting noise came suddenly.

"Heheh... the old whoopie cushion in the hand trick. It's ALWAYS funny." The child couldn't help but laugh. That was a good one!

"Anyways, you're a human right?"

"Yup."

"That's hilarious. I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton. I'm actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now. But... y'know... I don't really care about capturing anybody. Now my brother, Papyrus... he's a human hunting _fanatic_. Hey, actually, I think that's him over there." He said, glancing past the kid.

"I have an idea, go through this gate thingy. Yeah, go right through. My brother made the bars too wide to stop anyone." Curious as to what his idea was, the child followed his instructions. Uncannily there was a lamp that just seemed to be the same size they were just standing in front of some sort of station.

"Quick, behind that conveniently shaped lamp." They did as he said, a taller skeleton appeared with a red scarf wrapped around their neck, red gloves and boots.

"Sup, bro?"

"You know what's "sup," brother!" The other yelled.

"It's been eight days and you still haven't... Recalibrated. Your. Puzzles!" _Puzzles?_

"You just hang around outside your station! What are you even doing?!"

"Staring at this lamp. It's really cool. Do you wanna look?"

"No! I don't have time for that!" The other began stomping his foot, he looked like he was throwing a fit really... what was he so mad about?

"What if a human comes through here?! I want to be ready! I will be the one! I must be the one!" To what?

"I will capture a human!" Oh.

"Then I, the Great Papyrus... Will get all the things I utterly deserve! Respect... Recognition... I will finally be able to join the Royal Guard!" _He seems so... confident in this..._

"People will ask to be my "friend"?" He didn't seem so sure about that, why was that?

"I will bathe in a shower of kisses every morning." _Uhhhh..._

"Hmmm... maybe this lamp will help you." _Sans!_

"Sans! You are not helping! You lazybones!" The child tried not to laugh... what a thing for one skeleton to say to another!

"All you do is sit and boondogle! You get lazier and lazier every day!"

"Hey, take it easy. I've gotten a ton of work done today. A skele-ton." _He he... Sans..._

"SANS!"

"Come on, you're smiling."

"I am and I hate it!" Papyrus sighed.

"Why does someone as great as me... have to do so much just to get recognition..." That did seem unfair.

"Wow, sounds like you're really working yourself... down to the bone." The child almost burst out laughing again.

"UGH! I will attend to my puzzles... As for your work? Put a little more... "backbone" into it! Nyeheheheheheheheheheh!" He then walked off, but came back a moment later.

"Heh!" Then left.

"Okay, you can come out now." He smiled as the child came out, beaming.

"You outta get going. He might come back, if he does... you'll have to sit through more of my hilarious jokes." The child nodded and headed off, but they hadn't gotten more than a few feet when Sans spoke up again.

"Actually, hey... hate to bother ya, but can you do me a favor? I was thinking... my brother's kinda been down lately... He's never seen a human before and seeing you might just make his day. Don't worry, he's not dangerous; even if he tries to be. Thanks a million. I'll be up ahead." Following the path straight, despite the fact that Sans had walked off the opposite direction Papyrus had, the child found that the two were standing on the path, blocking the way.

"So, as I was saying about Undyne-" Papyrus turned suddenly and caught sight of the child. He turned back to Sans, back to the child and back again... faster and faster until he suddenly spun around facing the other way with his brother who had been copying his movements.

"Sans! Oh my God! Is that... a human?!" They both turned back around.

"Uhhh... actually I think that's a rock." Papyrus turned back to his brother.

"Oh."

"Hey, what's that in front of the rock?" Papyrus turned back while Sans just watched his brother's reaction.

"Oh my God!" His voice became a whisper.

"Is... is that a human?"

"Yes." Sans whispered back, the child couldn't hear them from where they were and looked at the two curiously.

"Oh my God!" Papyrus said again loudly.

"Sans! I finally did it!" Did it? Did what?

"Undyne will... I'm gonna... I'll be so... Popular! Popular! Popular!" _Huh?!_

"Ahem. Human! You shall not pass this area! I, the Great Papyrus, will stop you! Then I will capture you! You will be delivered to the capital! Then... then! I'm not sure what's next." Really? He had no idea?

"In any case! Continue... only if you dare! Nyeh Heh Heh Heh Heh Heh Heh Heh!" Then he walked off.

"Well, that went well." _Did it?_

"Don't sweat it kid. I'll keep an eye socket out for ya." Sans winked and then left. The child encountered the next unusual creature since falling down in the Underground. A blind dog named Doggo... the dog didn't seem to like movement and yet allowed itself to be petted during the Fight after not being able to find anything moving... How it could sense movement while blind the child did not know, but after having bested the blind dog and made them happy... they continued on only to find Sans near the next part of the road that seemed to split off with two choices... forward or to the left. The child first went up only to find a snowman.

"Hello. I am a snowman." Of course it could talk; if rocks could talk and move themselves than why not a snowman?

"I want to see the world, but I cannot move. If you would be so kind, traveler, please... Take a piece of me and bring it far away." The child nodded.

"Thank you... good luck!" Good luck? The child smiled anyway and walked back to take the path they had not taken before. Exploring was fun! Sans hadn't had anything to say, but had simply smiled. He'd seemed pretty pleased about something, maybe about the interaction with Papyrus? The next path ended in a snowy part where both Sans and Papyrus seemed to be. What now?

"You're so lazy! You were napping all night!"

"I think that's called... sleeping." The child agreed with Sans.

"Excuses, excuses!" He turned.

"Oh - ho! The human arrives!" Why did everyone just call the child "human" or child? The child didn't understand this really.

"In order to stop you my brother and I have created some puzzles! I think you will find this one... quite shocking! For you see this is the invisible... electricity maze! When you touch the walls of this maze," He pulled out a blue orb. "this orb will administer a hearty zap! Sound like fun?"

 _Not really..._

"Because ! The amount of fun you will probably have, is actually rather small I think. Ok. You can go ahead now." The child stepped forward, the orb zapped as was expected... but not the child... it zapped Papyrus!

"Sans! What did you do?!"

"I think the human has to hold the orb."

"Oh. Okay." He made his way across the maze and held out the orb.

"Hold this please." He then went back.

"Okay, try now!" With a trail to follow in the snow, it was easy to get to the other side without a single shock.

"Incredible! You slippery snail! You solved it so easily... too easily! However! The next puzzle will not be easy! It is designed by my brother, Sans! You will surely be confounded! I know I am! Nyeh Heh Heh Heh Heh!" Papyrus left then, leaving the child again with Sans.

"Hey, thanks... my brother seems like he's having fun." The child smiled.

"By the way, did you see that weird outfit he's wearing? We made that a few weeks ago for a costume party. He hasn't worn anything else since... Keeps calling it his 'battle body'. Man, isn't my brother cool?" The child nodded a little and then moved forward. What would be next? There was a snowball that got pushed into a hole... that was fun... the next area towards what the child hoped to be a town, maybe, only led to Sans and Papyrus again. What were the pair up to now? What was with that piece of paper lying on the ground?

"Human! I hope you're ready for... Sans! Where's the puzzle!"

"It's right there, on the ground. Trust me, there's no way they can get past this one." The child looked at the puzzle in thought then walked past it.

"SANS! That didn't do anything!"

"Whoops. I knew I should have used today's crossword instead."

"What?! Crossword?! I can't believe you said that! In my opinion... Junior Jumble is easily the hardest." _Actually that was kinda easy... I'm kind of good at word search puzzles..._

"What? Really, dude? That easy-peasey word scramble? That's for baby bones." '

"Un. Believable." _Well... guess I know who's got the brains in this family..._

"Human! Solve this dispute!" _Me?_

"Which is harder? Jumble or Crossword?" The child thought a moment, they felt a little bad for Papyrus so...

"Jumble."

"Ha ha! Yes! Humans must be very intelligent! If they also find Junior Jumble so difficult! Nyeh Heh Heh Heh!" Papyrus left again... where was he off to now? Curious, the child followed only to find that both he and Sans had disappeared without anything more to say. Well... there was no doubt those two would be back; Sans had said that his brother was a fanatic... he wasn't kidding about that at least. A save point was next to a microwave, a plate of frozen spaghetti and a note that read:

Human! Please enjoy this spaghetti. (Little do you know this spaghetti is a trap... designed to entice you! You'll be so busy eating it that you won't realize you aren't progressing! thoroughly japed again by the Great Papyrus!) Nyeh heh heh.

Papyrus

Traveling forward meant meeting a pair of dogs who were curious about the child's smell. By rolling around on the ground and then petting them, it was easy to discourage them from a Fight. Passing by the two led to a simple puzzle with a sign next to it:

Turn all the "x"s to "o."

Simple enough. Beyond that puzzle was Papyrus.

"What?! How did you avoid my trap? And more importantly... is there any left for me?" The child considered on what to say. It might hurt Papyrus' feelings if he knew that the child hadn't touched the food, despite that it was frozen to the plate... Well...

"I ate it."

"Really!? Wowie... No one's ever enjoyed my cooking before..." _Ah... maybe if you didn't let it freeze they might._ The child thought but didn't say that.

"Well then! Fret not human! I, Master Chef Papyrus, will make you all the pasta you could ever want! Heh Heh Heh Heh Heh Heh Nyeh!" He walked away and the child followed, wondering if he would show up again soon only to find him in the next area with another puzzle... this one more difficult than the last... He walked over.

"Hmmm... How can I say this? You were taking a long time to arrive so I decided to improve this puzzle by arranging the snow to look more like my face. Unfortunately the snow froze to the ground. Now the solution is different! And, as usual, my lazy brother is nowhere around. I suppose what I'm saying is... worry not, human! I, the Great Papyrus, will solve this conundrum! Then we can both proceed! Meanwhile, feel free to try the puzzle yourself. I'll try not to give away the answer!" It looked almost too difficult... but wait... what was that shining on that tree? It looked like a switch... The child hit that switch and then the other. Instantly all the "x" became "o."

"Wow! You solved it! And you did it all without my help... Incredible! I'm impressed! You must care about puzzles like I do!" The child nodded.

"Well, I'm sure you'll love the next puzzle then! It might even be too easy for you! Nyeh Heh Heh Heheheh!" And off he went again, just like normal. On the other side of what had once been a spiked wall was Sans.

"Good job on solving it so quickly. You didn't even need my help, which is great 'cause I love doing absolutely nothing." The child moved forward. How did Sans do that? Go from being behind to in front so fast? Papyrus was waiting with him across a bridge and a patterned grid of some kind...

"Hey! It's the human!" Papyrus said excitedly.

"You're gonna love this puzzle! It was made by the great Dr. Alphys!" Who was Dr. Alphys? You see these tiles?!"

"Yeah..."

"Once I throw this switch they will begin to change color! Each color has a different function! Red tiles are impassable! You cannot walk on them! Yellow tiles are electric! They will electrocute you! Green tiles are alarm tiles! If you step on them you will have to fight a monster! Orange tiles are orange scented. They will make you smell delicious! Blue tiles are water tiles. Swim through them if you like but... if you smell like oranges the piranhas will bite you. Also if a blue tile is next to a yellow tile the water will also zap you. Purple tiles are slippery! You will slide to the next tile! However the slippery soap smells like lemons! Which piranhas do not like! Purple and blue are okay! Finally, pink tiles. They don't do anything. Step on them all you like. How was that!? Understand?" _Um... I think so... I donno if I'll remember all this though..._

"Of course."

"Great! Then there's one last thing this puzzle... is entirely random! When I pull this switch it will make a puzzle that has never been seen before! Not even I will know the solution! Nyeh Heh Heh! Get ready...!" He flipped the switch and the puzzle scrambled, when it finally stopped... there was a path of pink tiles all the way across... Papyrus began to spin and spun his way out of sight... _Oh dear._ The child crossed safely without any problems.

"Actually, that spaghetti from earlier... it wasn't too bad for my brother. Since he started cooking lessons he's been improving a lot. I bet if he keeps it up, next year he'll be able to make something edible." The child nodded and continued on. It was getting cold now... how long had it been since they'd left the Ruins behind? The Ruins might have been small, but was cozy... The short sleeved striped shirt wasn't keeping them very warm... at least the blue jeans were and moving around constantly helped... After solving a puzzle and making friends with Greater Dog... a dog that wore a suit of armor... They hurried on only to see a long wooden bridge. Without hesitation they crossed it; near the end though two familiar figures were waiting... or rather, two familiar skeletons.

"Human! This is your final and most dangerous challenge! Behold! The Gauntlet of Deadly Terror!" The child's eyes widened, there were spears, a swinging ball, fire, a cannon... a ... dog? Sans had said his brother wasn't dangerous... but this challenge might very well be!

"When I say the word it will fully activate! Cannons will fire! Spikes will swing! Blades will slice! Each part will swing violently up and down! Only the tiniest chance of victory will remain! Are you ready?!" _Uhhhhhhh..._

"Because! I! Am! About! To do it!" Well... okay then... if this really was it... no choice right?

"Well? What's the holdup?" Sans asked a couple moments later.

"Holdup!? What holdup!? I'm... I'm about to activate it now." A few more minutes seemed to pass, nothing was happening.

"That, uh, doesn't look very activated."

"Well! This challenge! It seems..." Was he having second thoughts?

"Maybe... too easy to defeat the human with. Yeah! We can't use this one! I am a skeleton of standards! My puzzles are very fair! And my traps are expertly cooked! But this is too direct! No class at all! Away it goes!" It all went away just as easily as it had come.

"Phew! What are you looking at?! This was another decisive victory for Papyrus! Nyeh! Heh! ... Heh?" He left, as usual, and the child finished crossing the bridge to find Sans was waiting.

"I don't know what my brother's going to do now; if I were you, I'd make sure you understood blue attacks." Yeah, there'd been an introduction there with Doggo... the child was confident they could withstand blue attacks. It would be pretty simple really. Going further on brought the child to the town of Snowdin, by now the child was hungry and shivering... surely there had to be...

"Hey kiddo!" The child turned to see that Sans had followed for once.

"Hey... are you... cold?" They nodded a little.

"Ah geez... I guess it is pretty cold out here without a jacket." He slipped out of the hoodie and draped it over the child's shoulders, it was large on the child but they snuggled into it nonetheless and it was surprisingly warm.

"Hey... you want to... stay with us maybe?" The child's face brightened and Sans smiled slightly.

"Come on then. It's not far." He walked with the kid who beamed the whole way, following Sans to the house near one end of town... it was a small town really so it wasn't a very far walk.

"Sans! Where did you put the-" Papyrus came out of the kitchen, an apron draped over his normal attire.

"Why is the human with you?"

"I wasn't gonna let 'em freeze out there."

"Hmm. Normally I'd object, but I suppose they have nowhere else to go." The child sadly shook their head, recalling that Toriel had said not to come back...

"It's just one night. I'm sure the kiddo won't give us any trouble."

"Ngh... Fine, but it's back to business as usual tomorrow! Truce?" Papyrus looked at the child who just smiled.

"Great, now that's settled. What do you usually do for fun kiddo?" Sans asked when Papyrus had left the room.

"Draw."

"Really? Heh, wouldn't have pegged you for an artist. I think I've got something around here... hold on one moment." The child sat down on the floor while Sans disappeared into his room. When he came back he had some paper and a handful of crayons.

"There we are." The child smiled and began drawing a happy picture of home on a sunny day while Sans watched in silence. This kid wasn't half bad. Wasn't like the other humans he could only barely remembered having come before this kid. Truth was... the others, they'd been all sorts of ages and none of them had been as kind to his brother as this one. Then, there was that other one... He shook the thoughts of that away. He didn't want to think about it.

"Supper is ready!"

"Come on kiddo." They went to the kitchen to get their plates of spaghetti from Papyrus. It wasn't very warm, but at least it wasn't raw or frozen; if some of the pieces were still a little crunchy neither of them said anything as they ate. Once supper was over, the kid began to yawn.

"Sans, where is the kid going to sleep?"

"Well, I was thinking maybe my bed. I don't really use the thing much."

"Be reasonable Sans, your room is a mess; there's no way the human is sleeping there."

"The couch will do." The two turn to the child who had spoken up.

"Y'sure kiddo?"

"Mmhmm."

"Well, no use arguing I suppose. I'll get the extra stuff." Papyrus disappeared only to come back with a pillow and blanket.

"Here human."

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome human. Now. I'm going to bed. You should too Sans."

"I guess so." He looked at the child who had snuggled into the couch without a word.

"Goodnight kiddo." He went upstairs after turning off the light. He didn't need it to see anyway.


	4. 3: Papyrus

The town was quiet. Well, better than noisey; it had seemed to take forever to get past those annoying skeleton brothers. The taller one was especially stupid. The one REAL challenge they had actually presented the idiot hadn't even gone through with! _I'll have to watch out for his brother though... Sans isn't as stupid as Papyrus. He gave me a sort of chilling feeling when we first met... I have a feeling he could be dangerous._ Pushing back the thought of that, they went inside the bar and took out the pie from Toriel. The bar was deserted. Not a soul to be found. The child grinned a little. Idiotic goat woman had shown weakness from the start and then had tried to stand in their way... well, no matter. That was taken care of already. It had been far too easy. That nuisance of a flower had popped up to congratulate them... what a laugh! If Flowey showed up again they were going to show it the same kindness it had shown them. What was with this dust? Ugh... annoying. The child finished the pie and then brushed off the white dust that lingered on the striped shirt. Feeling tired, the child moved over to a bench seat and stretched out. A small smile on their features as they did so and closed their eyes. No one was around. No one would get in the way... Especially not that bone comedian and his retarded brother. The echoes of the victims still could be heard... Her voice... the voice of Toriel...

" _Y... you really hate me that much? ... Now I see who I was protecting by keeping you here. Not you... but them! Ha... ha..."_ Then there was that annoying skeleton's last words even as he was nothing but a skull on the ground...

" _Well. That's not what I expected... But... St... still! I believe in you! You can do a little better! Even if you don't think so. I... I promise..."_ Right up until the end that bonehead had been... well, a literal and metaphorical bonehead. What a joke.

He stood in the snow, eye on the red scarf that lay in the snow.

"No... Papyrus... Come on out brother! This isn't funny!" He picked up the scarf, looking around wildly.

"Papyrus! Papyrus!" This couldn't be happening...

"No! No no no no no... NO! PAPYRUS!" Sans sank to his knees, clutching the scarf to him, tears spilling down, sobs cutting through the silence. Why had they done this? Papyrus hadn't done anything to hurt them! He'd never have... Alphys... She would have some answers... maybe she could help. He slowly got to his feet, pushing himself to the lab. When he got there he could hear her sobbing... No... this couldn't mean.

"Alphys!" He called out.

"S-sans... Oh Sans! Thank god you're still... -hic- alive."

"Alphys... what's wrong?"

"Un... Undyne..."

"No... not her too! Alphys... please... I know you are always watching things from your lab... please, show me what's been happening." She nodded, tears in her reptilian eyes as she walked over to the monitor and stuck in a tape. Sans watched in mortification. Monster after monster... He cringed when he saw Papyrus.

"Brother..." He choked out as he saw the human face them. His brother had shown the human mercy and what had he gotten in return? Sans' hands clutched the scarf all the more tightly. The scene showed more monsters... many he'd known... all of them cut down... Undyne had been the fiercest of them... but now... she too was on the list of the fallen...

"NOOOOOOOO!" Sans bolted upright in his bed. Panting, his left eye was alive with his power, blue flames leaping up from it.

"Eh?" Papyrus left his room at the cry. The sounds of crying reached his ears and had woken him up. He followed the sound out of his room. It was then that, now fully awake, he'd heard two crys... The child was upright on the couch, curled up and rocking slightly; Papyrus went to his brother's room first.

"Sans? Sans are you alright?" Sans didn't answer as he clutched his head.

"Sans, it's me... your brother." He knelt before Sans who after a moment finally was able to see him.

"Papyrus..."

"Did you have a nightmare."

"Y-yeah?"

"Well, you aren't alone. Seems the kid had one too."

"Huh?" Sans got up, it was then that he heard the muffled sound of crying.

"Ah geez..." He headed down stairs and Papyrus followed. Forgetting, for the moment, his own fear as he went over to the child. He settled down.

"Hey kiddo. You okay?" The child turned to Sans.

"Huh? Whoa! Hey there... it's okay." The child buried their face into Sans' jacket.

"There now, it's alright; everything's okay. Y'wanna talk about it?" Sans looked over at Papyrus, concerned even as his brother had taken a seat on the other side of the child.

"Yes, maybe talking about it would make you feel better."

"I..." After a moment of silence they pulled their head from Sans' jacket, sniffling.

"In... the dream..." Their tone was low, almost a sob.

"Everyone... I'd met... they were... dead... there was... so much blood." Sans stared at the child in shock.

"Sans, why are you looking at them like that?" Leave it to his brother to notice.

"I... um... geez." He sighed.

"I had the same nightmare. You... all our friends... dead..." The child began to tremble.

"Hey now, calm down kid... it was just a dream, right? You'd never do anything like that." The child's tears were enough to prove that weren't they?

"Y-you're right." Sans smiled, as did Papyrus as the child smiled at them.

"I would never hurt my friends."

"Well... darn it... you're making this difficult..." Papyrus had tears in his eyes now. He looked at Sans.

"How can I possibly turn the human in now?" Sans didn't respond.

"Let's just get some shut eye socket eh?" Papyrus sighed.

"Yes, I suppose we should." The child rubbed away the last of their tears.

"Good night kiddo, Papyrus."

"Good night human, Sans."

"Goodnight Sans, Papyrus." Breakfast the next morning was a quiet affair. Papyrus was out before Sans or the child were ready.

"So, are ya gonna keep going kid?"

"Uh huh."

"Good luck. It's rough out there."

"I know, but I have to try."

"Guess you have people you miss huh?" The child nodded.

"Can't blame ya there... well, bone-voyage to ya." He winked even as the child giggled at the joke. Sans smiled at that as he watched the child walk off; even if Papyrus still decided to try and capture the child for Undyne he didn't think his brother would really go through with it. He was certain, in fact, the child would just make friends with his brother; he had to admit, the human was a good sport about all of his brother's antics up to now. Sans had to live with Papyrus, so of course it was only natural that he supported him, but the human didn't have to. _That kid's got a hard road ahead of 'em... maybe I should follow._ He thought and decided to do just that, keeping out of sight. He nearly shook his head when he saw that the child had crossed into fog, it made it hard to see anything really but he heard his brother loud and clear. So this was his plan?

"I hope you know what you're doing..." Sans muttered, barely able to make out the two shapes in the fog. The smaller was obvious the child.

"Human. Allow me to tell you about some complex feelings." Feelings?

"So like you bro..." He said to himself quietly, so not to draw their attention. The nightmares that he'd been having really spooked him; though he'd never been able to tell Papyrus about them... honestly, they'd calmed down for a while until... Until recently. Until Them. Last night he had been reminded just how brutal those nightmares were. What had surprised him though was that the child seemed to share something of it... or perhaps it was because they were it? He wasn't sure. It felt like this had happened before, that things that were happening now had happened... but that it hadn't gone well... That the vision in his nightmare... it would come true. The thought of that was why he'd followed the human. He just wasn't going to let it happen.

"Feelings like the joy of finding another pasta lover. The admiration for another's puzzle-solving skills. The desire to have a cool, smart person think you are cool." _Brother... be careful..._

"They must be what you are feeling right now! I can hardly imagine what it must be like to feel that way. After all, I am great. I don't ever wonder what having lots of friends is like." _Papyrus..._ Sans almost sighed, it was his brother's dream, after all, to have many friends and to be one of the royal guard... for years Undyne had continued to deny him that much. The last few weeks though she'd begun to teach him to cook instead of trying to train him. Though his brother had insisted it was training. Sans was no fool. He knew what Undyne was doing and he hoped she did too... but he honestly hadn't seen his brother so happy than when he'd come back from a "training session" with her so who was he to tell his brother the truth?

"I pity you... lonely human... Worry not! You shall be lonely no longer! I, the Great Papyrus, will be your... no... No, this is all wrong! I can't be your friend! You are a human! I must capture you! Then, I can fulfill my lifelong dream! Powerful! Popular! Prestigious! That's Papyrus! The newest member... of the Royal Guard!" Sans could only watch as his brother initiated a Fight. Papyrus' aura surrounded him and the child's soul stood out in front of them. _So... that's what their soul looks like then?_ Sans had never seen one personally and up close, but the fog had moved on and now he could clearly see the figures as the mist moved on. Before Papyrus could make the first move, however, the child smiled at him and blew a kiss in his direction.

"What?! Fl-flirting?! So you finally reveal your _ultimate feelings!_ W-well! I'm a skeleton with very high standards!" Sans almost couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"I can make spaghetti." The child replied.

"Oh no! You're meeting all my standards!" _Heh... high standards indeed little brother._

"I guess this means I have to go on a date with you...? Let's date l-later! After I capture you!" Sans almost shook his head at the attacks his brother tossed at the child who easily dodged around them. His brother's heart wasn't in this, he could see that from the start. _Y' haven't changed a bit Pappy... Still the same, silly brother you've always been... wearing your heart on your sleeve like that can be dangerous, but for you... Heh... guess it works._ No matter what Papyrus did, the child simply dodged and continued to flirt with him. Sans still wasn't sure this wasn't just some trick, that his nightmares weren't just some bad dreams... He hoped that's all they were.

"So you won't fight... let's see how you handle my fabled 'Blue Attack'." The child simply stood still for all the attacks, not a single one of them seemed to hurt, but the child's eyes grew wide when suddenly their soul turned blue.

"You're blue now." Papyrus said as the child was flung back by a bone.

"That's my attack. Nyeh Heh Heh Heh Heh Heh Heh Heh Heh!" The child tried flirting again, but it didn't seem to work and they found it little harder to dodge the skeleton's bone attacks, a few even hitting. _So he's really serious... he's really going through with this._

"I have lots of admirers, but... will anyone like me as sincerely as you do?" Sans sighed a little, he had to see this thing through to the end, just to make sure that this wasn't some kind of trick on the kid's part; that his nightmares really were just that. Even so, as often as he'd been having them he had to wonder. The kid was good, no doubt about that, even being turned blue didn't seem to keep them from dodging nearly every attack that was being thrown at them... just who WAS this kid? Granted, Papyrus wasn't the most dangerous of fighters really, but that didn't mean just anyone should be able to stand up to him.

"Someone like you is really rare..." Wasn't that the truth? Even among monsters there weren't many who tolerated his brother, who gave him any sort of respect and yet this kid... who didn't know a thing about Papyrus other than what his brother had told him and his obvious like for puzzles and spaghetti... seemed to treat him like they were just playing a game. Like it was just another puzzle that had to be solved. This kid, who could be dangerous... was refusing to hurt his brother.

"And dating might be kind of hard... after you're captured and sent away." Papyrus began to become a little frustrated at the human's tenacity.

"Urgh, who cares! Give up!" He frowned, having recalled one of Sans' puns.

"Give up or face my Special Attack!" Even then though the child refused to give up.

"Yeah! Very soon I will use my Special Attack!" The child merely continued to dodge.

"Not too long and I will use that Special Attack!" He warned, but the child didn't seem affected at all by his warning.

"This is your last chance... before my Special Attack!" Still the child refused to give in.

"Behold! My Special Attack!" The child braced themselves only to see a dog was gnawing on a bone.

"What the heck?! That's my Special Attack! Hey you stupid dog! Do you hear me?! Stop munching on that bone!" The dog began backing away with it while the child was trying not to laugh.

"Hey! What are you doing!? Come back here with my Special Attack!" The dog fled.

"Oh well... I'll just use a really cool regular attack." He sighed.

"Here's an absolutely normal attack." The child easily dodged all the bones, it wasn't until near the end that they realized the last bones had landed in the snow and spelled out "Cool Dude."

"Well... -huff- it's clear... you can't -huff- defeat me! Yeah! I can see you shaking in your boots! Therefore I, the Great Papyrus, elect to grant you pitty! I will spare you human! Now's your chance to accept my mercy." Sans tensed, this was it... The child went up to his brother and kissed him on the cheek, Sans swore he was going to faint with relief; whoever this child was... they weren't going to hurt his brother. He headed back to the house to wait for Papyrus to return.


	5. 4: Date With a Friend

"Nyoo hoo hoo. I can't even stop someone as weak as you... Undyne's going to be disappointed in me. I'll never join the Royal Guard... and... my friend quantity will remain stagnant!"

"No it won't. Let's be friends."

"Really?! You want to be friends, with me?"

"Mmhmm."

"Well then... I guess... I guess I can make an allowance for you! Wowie! We haven't even had our first date... and I've already managed to hit the Friend Zone! Who knew that all I needed to make pals... was to give people awful puzzles and then fight them? You taught me a lot, human. I hereby grant you permission to pass through!" The child smiled.

"And I'll give you directions to the surface. Continue forward until you reach the end of the cavern. Then... when you reach the capital, cross the Barrier. That's the magical seal that's keeping us all underground. Anything can enter through it but nothing can exit... Except someone with a powerful soul... Like you!" _I have a powerful soul?_

"That's why the king wants to acquire a human. He wants to open the Barrier with soul power. Then us monsters can return to the surface! Oh, I almost forgot to tell you... To reach the exit, you will have to pass through the king's castle. The king of all monsters... He is... well... He's a big fuzzy pushover! Everyone loves that guy. I am certain if you just say... "Excuse me Mr. Dreemurr, can I please go home?" He'll guide you right to the Barrier himself. Anyway! That's enough talking! I'll be at home being a cool friend! Feel free to come by and have that date! Nyeh Heh Heh Heh Heh Heh Heh!" It sounded like fun... so the child headed off to the house they'd seen earlier with Papyrus' name on one of two mailboxes.

"So you came back to have a date with me! You must be really serious about this... I'll have to take you someplace really special... A place I like to spend a lot of time!" Well, that made sense. The child followed Papyrus towards the bar and grill only to watch as Papyrus turned and doubled back and they followed. Had he realized he'd gone the wrong direction? He stopped in front of his own house.

"My house!" Oh dear... well, one couldn't fault him for the honesty at least right? The child wondered what a real date entailed, after all, they had never been on a date... The child followed Papyrus inside and began looking around. First the living room, then upstairs... where there was a picture of a bone. Then the child went down again without checking the doors and instead went to the kitchen. For whatever reason there was a table pushed up against one wall in the living room with a plate that had a rock on it that was covered in sprinkles... apparently it was Sans' pet rock. The child smiled a little. _I guess that makes sense... seeing as I haven't really seen any normal animals and Sans doesn't really seem like the type to have a pet. Speaking of which... I wonder where Sans is._ The child went into the kitchen, perhaps he was there? Nope. Curious, the child opened the fridge only to find spaghetti and chips... well then. They shut the door and looked over at what looked to be a pantry with a sink on it. Perhaps there were other things in there?

"Impressed? I increased the height of my sink. Now I can fit more bones under it. Have a looksy!" When the child opened it, however, inside was a dog chewing on a bone.

"What?! Catch that meddling canine!" The dog ran right past the child, through the living room and out the door despite the attempts to catch it.

"Curses!" There was the sound of a click and then a trombone.

"SANS! Stop plaguing my life with incidental music!" The child did their best not to laugh. So that's where Sans was! In his room! The child went back upstairs only to find the room that had to belong to Sans was locked... what was with the pretty lights beneath? Hmmm... well, something to maybe ask Sans about later, they headed to Papyrus' room.

"That's my room! If you've finished looking around... we could go in and... do whatever people do when they date?" So... he didn't know? He followed the child inside, there was a race car bed, a pirate flag hung on one wall with notes beneath it; nearby was a book shelf. In the far right corner was a computer. Between the bed and the wall with the pirate flag on it was a table with what looked like some sort of action figures on it. The carpet that took up most of the room was blue with flames on the edges. After exploring the room a bit, the child went back to Papyrus who seemed a little unsure of himself.

"So, um... if you've seen everything... Do you want to start the date?"

"Yes."

"Okay! Dating start! Here we are, on our date!" He glanced away.

"I've actually never done this before. But don't worry! You can't spell "prepared" without several letters in my name!" Okay, what was that supposed to mean? Papyrus plucked a book off the shelf.

"I snagged an official dating rulebook from the library! We're ready to have a great time!" The child watched as he opened the book.

"Let's see... Step One..." Papyrus seemed pretty eager to do his best on the date.

"Step two... ask them on a date." He cleared his throat and put the book down a moment.

"Ahem. Human! I, the Great Papyrus... will go on a date with you!" _Not exactly asking, but that works I guess._

"Yes."

"R-really? Wowie!" The child smiled, he sure did get excited easily.

"I guess that means it's time for part three!" He looked at the book again.

"Step three... put on nice clothes to show you care!" He was quiet a moment before setting the book aside.

"Wait a second, "wear clothing" ... That ribbon in your hair... You're wearing clothing right now!" Well, true, but the ribbon had been something they'd found in the Ruins and it had looked nice so... why not?

"Not only that... " He glanced away.

"Earlier today you were also wearing clothing!" He put his hands to his face, eyes wide.

"No... could it be? You've wanted to date me from the very beginning?" _Should I be honest? I don't want to hurt his feelings but I don't want to lie either..._ The child was silent a moment before answering.

"No." The shock on his face then was sort of hurtful, but they hadn't wanted to lie; that would mean being a bad friend.

"Despite that, you chose to wear clothing today of all days...?" _I don't get him... he's acting like it's unusual for anyone to wear clothes..._

"Was your interest in me..." Wait, now he was blushing?

"Predestined!? Noooo... Your dating power... !" There was such a thing as dating power?

"Nyeh! Nyeh Heh Heh! Don't think you've bested me yet!" Was this a competition?

"I, the Great Papyrus... have never been beaten at dating and never will!" _Wait... didn't he say earlier he'd never done this? Oh well._

"I can easily keep up with you! You see, I too, can wear clothing! In fact... I always wear my 'special' clothes underneath my regular clothes! Just in case someone happens to ask me on a date! Behold!" Papyrus vanished into his closet only to come out again wearing shorts, a baseball cap, a T-shirt with "cool dude" on it and what looked like halves of basketballs on his shoulders.

"Nyeh! What do you think of my secret style?"

"I love it!" It was so cool!

"NO! A genuine compliment! However... You don't truly understand the hidden power of this outfit! Therefore... what you just said is invaild." _Really?_

"This date won't escalate any further! ... Unless you find my secret! But that won't happen!" Thinking, the child pointed to his hat.

"My hat...? My hat." The child nodded.

"My hat!" He grinned.

"Nyeh Heh Heh! Well then, you found my secret!" He lifted off the hat to reveal a gift box beneath.

"I suppose I have no choice! It's a present... a present j-just for you!" He handed it to the child who opened it; inside was a plate of spaghetti.

"Do you know what this is?" The child nodded.

"Spaghetti, that's what you're thinking isn't it?" The child nodded.

"Right! But oh-so wrong! This ain't any plain ol' pasta! This is an artisan's work. Silken spaghetti, finely aged in an oaken cask... then cooked by me, Master Chef Papyrus! Human! It's time to end this! There's no way this can go any further!" The child took a bite of the pasta... the taste causing their face to scrunch up from the indescribable taste.

"What a passionate expression! You must really love my cooking! And by extension... me!" He blushed.

"Maybe even more than I do!" _Priceless..._

"Agh! Urgh! Noooooooo! Human! It is clear now. You're madly in love with me. Everything you do. Everything you say. It's all been for my sake. Human, I want you to be happy, too." The child smiled at him.

"It's time for me to express my feelings. It's time that I told you. I, Papyrus... I... um... Boy, is it hot in here or is it just me?" The child waited patiently.

"Oh, shoot. Human, I... I'm sorry. I don't like you the way you like me. Romantically, I mean." _Is there a difference between romantic feelings and friendship feelings?_

"I mean, I tried very hard to! I thought that because you flirted with me..." He glanced away.

"That I was supposed to go on a date with you." His gaze shifted back.

"Then, on the date, feelings would blossom forth! I would be able to match your passion for me! But, alas... I, the Great Papyrus... have failed. I feel just the same as before. And instead, by dating you... I have only drawn you deeper into your intense love for me! A dark prison of passion with no escape!" _What is he talking about?_

"How could I have done this to my dear friend? ... No, wait! That's wrong! I can't fail at anything! Human! I'll help you through these trying times! I'll keep being your cool friend... and act like this never happened. After all, you are very great. It would be tragic to lose your friendship." The child beamed happily, they would stay friends! It was truly all that they had wanted... just a true friendship from this stubborn skeleton. So please... Don't cry because I won't kiss you. Because I don't even have lips. And hey, someday you'll find someone as great as me." _I hope to find someone better, but I suppose that's close enough..._ The child merely smiled.

"Well, no... that's not true, but I'll help you settle for second best!" _Isn't that kind of mean?_

"Nyeh Heh Heh Heh Heh! Oh, and if you ever need to reach me... Here's my phone number." The child handed him their cell phone and he put his number into it. You can call me anytime! Platonically. Well, gotta go. Nyeh Heh Heh!" The child wondered where he was off to. Well, it didn't matter really and they left the room, Sans was still nowhere to be seen; was he still in his room? What was he doing in there? The child shrugged off the questions and left the house; oddly enough the fog was still in that one section... what was causing this fog? It didn't matter really though, as they continued on the fog became thinner, until it was just a mere mist and then vanished all together. Just one more thing that was unusual about this place that didn't seem to match up to the known world. The child began to wonder if this place was just a dream, it just seemed a little too strange... and yet wonderful in it's own way... to be real. Should this be a dream, though and they the dreamer... they wished to never return to the waking world and what awaited them there. Not that any of this was new to them really... but well, what proof was there that this wasn't just a dream? The thoughts were shaken away... Things couldn't simply stay the same... not after... The thought was abandoned as the soothing sound of waterfalls ahead calmed the child's mind. Snow gave away to hard ground as the child moved on, suddenly the temperature seemed different... warmer really. Already the child found they missed the companionship of Sans and Papyrus. Did the two only stay in Snowdin? _This is odd... how can the temperature change all of the sudden?_ They wondered as they walked on, grass underfoot and the sound of waterfalls ahead. The sound of the river rushing by with ice blocks bobbing about in it was really very soothing... although why there were ice blocks in it the child wasn't sure... just what was the point of that? Did the ice, maybe, cool something down? The question faded from their mind when they passed Another "save point" lay ahead, the child stopped a moment to touch it; they weren't sure why but it had been a while since they'd seen one and who knew what lay ahead? Plus there was a strange looking flower next to an orange fish monster... and was that the kid from Snowdin? What were they doing here of all places and... wait... was that SANS at that station? The child went over to him.

"What? Haven't you seen a guy with two jobs before?" The child shook their head. Two jobs? Wouldn't that be a lot of work?

"Well, fortunately two jobs means twice as many legally-required breaks.I'm going to Grillby's, wanna come?" That was the restaurant in Snowdin wasn't it?

"Yeah."

"Well if you insist... I'll pry myself away from my work..." He walked around the station.

"Over here." Huh? Wasn't Snowdin the other way?

"I know a shortcut." Well... if he said it was one. The child walked over to him and took the offered hand, in seconds they were just inside the restaurant. Looking around there were all sorts of monsters, even some the kid recognized... at one table was the two dog sentries with Greater Dog... at least the child thought so... and was that Lesser Dog playing Poker with the wall?

"Fast shortcut, huh?" Sans asked.

"Very."

"Hey everyone." The entire crowd stopped to say hi to Sans in their own way, one even called him 'Sansy'. Sans went over to the dog sentries first, then what looked like a stuffed rabbit head... another looked like a carnivorous plant. They got over to the bar only to be greeted by what looked like a featherless duck.

"Hey Sans, weren't you just here for breakfast a few minutes ago?"

"Nah, I haven't had breakfast in at least half an hour. You must be thinking of brunch." He winked and the entire bar laughed; Sans turned to the kid.

"Here, get comfy." So they did, and couldn't say they were too surprised when they heard the sound of a whoopie cushion when they sat down.

"Whoops, watch where you sit down. Sometimes weirdos put whoopie cushions on the seats. Anyway, let's order. Whadda want?" The child giggled a little and looked down at the menu. There wasn't a long list of items really... burger, fries, onion rings... that was it. Did Sans have this stuff for breakfast too? Pushing the thought aside they pointed to the menu with a smile, it sounded good.

"Burger."

"Hey, that sounds pretty good." Sans looked up at the bar keep who seemed to be made of fire.

"Grillby, we'll have a double order of burg." The bar keep put away the glass he'd been drying and walked off to a back room. Sans rubbed the back of his skull, the child looked at him; was there something he wanted to say? He turned to them.

"So, what do ya think... of my brother?"

"He's cool."

"Of course he's cool. You'd be cool too if you wore that outfit everyday; he'd only take that thing off if he absolutely had to. Oh well. At least he washes it... and by that I mean he wears it in the shower." The child giggled at the thought of that. Grillsby came back with their order.

"Here comes the grub. Want some ketchup?" Sans held out a bottle to the child who nodded and took it. The bottle cap, however, seemed to be loose and a whole bunch dumped on the hamburger.

"Whoops, sorry about that. Here, you can have mine. I'm not hungry anyway. Anyway, cool or not, you have to agree Papyrus tries real hard. Like how he keeps trying to be part of the Royal Guard." The child nodded, thanking Sans for the hamburger; listening to him as they ate.

"One day, he went to the house of the head of the Royal Guard... and begged her to let him be in it. Of course, she shut the door on him because it was midnight, but the next day she woke up and saw him still waiting there. Seeing his dedication, she decided to give him warrior training. It's, uh, still a work in progress." _I can only bet, he's pretty tough though... even though I was able to dodge most of his attacks he sure gave me a run for my money... I bet whoever is the head of the guards is even tougher. Hope I never have to fight them._

"Oh yeah, I wanted to ask you something." Sans said after a moment.

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Have you ever heard of a talking flower?" A talking flower?! Did he mean...?

"Yes."

"So you know all about it." Did everyone?

"The echo flower." _Echo flower? Wait... so this isn't about Flowey?_

"They're all over the marsh." Sans went on without missing a beat.

"Say something to them and they'll repeat it over and over..."

"What about it?"

"Well, Papyrus told me something interesting the other day. Sometimes, when no one else is around... a flower appears and whispers things to him. Flattery... advice... encouragement... predictions." _Predictions?_

"Weird huh? Someone must be using an echo flower to play a trick on him. Keep an eye out, okay? Thanks." The child nodded. _That does sound fishy... but maybe whoever is doing this is just shy about it?_

"Welp, that was a long break." Sans said, getting up from the bar stool; the child watched him.

"I can't believe I let you pull me away from work for that long. Oh, by the way... I'm flat broke. Can you foot the bill? It's just 10,000g." Only ten thousand? They weren't sure they had THAT much, but... well... Sans was a friend...

"Sure."

"Just kidding. Grillby, put it on my tab." He walked out. _Was he... testing me?_ The child thought as he left for the door. Well, it didn't matter; time to get on with the journey. Chances weren't high that the castle was around the next corner... so best be off. Just as he reached the door, Sans turned back around and called.

"By the way..." He paused as if it was something important.

"I was going to say something, but I forgot." He left then and the child merely shrugged... guess it wasn't so important. At least that was the assumption as the child walked back to the station where they'd seen Sans; he was back there again.

"Hey, we should hangout again sometime." They smiled, touched the save point and then continued on. The next area had a waterfall, no surprise there, but rocks were falling down it... which made it tricky getting across the shallow pool without being pushed down by the larger rolling stones that came down. It wasn't difficult, really, just tricky, but that didn't stop them... though at one point they swore they were being followed and turned around but there was no one there. Was it just a feeling or was someone really following? Shrugging it off, maybe it was just Sans... after all he had followed in the beginning and waited until they'd reached the bridge before actually saying anything. So if someone was following then obviously they meant no harm and really, it seemed like something that Sans would do; with that solved they simply ignored the feeling from then on out as they continued to navigate the falls until walking into a grassy area. Something made them pause... it was the kid from the town again! What were they... wait... who was that up on the ledge above? Was that... that Papyrus? What was he doing here?


	6. 5: Waterfall

"H... Hi, Undyne! I'm here with my daily report..." So this was Undyne?

"Uhhhh.. regarding that human that I called you about earlier..." This didn't look good, something was said by Undyne but it was too quiet to be heard.

"Huh? Did I fight them?" So that was it... obviously Undyne wanted to know if Papyrus had fought.

"Y-yes! Of course I did!" Papyrus looked away.

"I fought them valiantly! ... What? Did I capture them... ? W-w-well... No. I tried very hard, Undyne, but in the end... I failed." How could Papyrus hear over the sound of the waterfalls? Or maybe he wasn't... maybe he just knew her enough to anticipate from looks she was giving him... or by how she was standing.

"... W-what? You're going to take the human's soul yourself... But Undyne, you don't h-have to destroy them!" He approached her.

"You see..." She turned to him.

"You see..." He took a few steps back and was silent a moment.

"I understand. I'll help you in any way I can." _What?! Papyrus... y-you're... b-betraying me?_ They could only watch as the skeleton who they had spared... had tried to be friends with them... seemed to be turning on them. Saddened, they moved only to freeze when they realized the grass had made a sound. The sound of heavy footsteps made them stay perfectly still, looking up as the figure in knight's armor looked down at the tall grass... had they seen? A spear appeared in their hand... but after a moment it faded and they disappeared into the darkness. After several tense moments they slowly moved again but kept an eye on the cliff. No Undyne. Okay, the knight was gone. Once out of the grass however there was a sound... someone was behind them and they turned only to see the kid from Snowdin come out of the tall grass.

"Yo... Did you see the way she was staring at you...? That... was AWESOME! I'm SOOO jealous! What'd ya do to get her attention? Ha ha. C'mon! Let's go watch her beat up some bad guys!" He ran off only to trip, he got back up and was off like a shot. _Oh man... that kid really doesn't know? Maybe it's for the best._ A "save point" glittered up ahead and the child touched it before going on into the swampy marsh that lay ahead. Despite the feeling of dread, the child stayed determined and hoped that they wouldn't run into Undyne again; there were puzzles around the marsh but nothing too difficult and of course there were monsters that lived in the place too. After crossing a flower puzzle, the phone rang; who could be calling?

"Hello! This is Papyrus!" _Huh? What does_ he _want?_

"How did you get this number?"

"It was easy! I just dialed every number sequentially until I got yours. Nyeh Heh Heh Heh!" _Ah geez... wonder how many people he ended up calling... he's such a bonehead..._ The child chuckled inwardly at their own joke.

"So... What are you wearing? I'm... asking for a friend." _Undyne... should I tell him the truth?_

"She thought she saw you wearing a dusty tutu. Is that true? Are you wearing a dusty tutu?" _Well... I don't really have a reason to lie..._

"Yes."

"So you are wearing a dusty tutu..." _Didn't I just say so?_

"Got it! Wink! Wink! Have a nice day" Click. What the heck? What was that all about? Well, it didn't really matter... They moved on through the rest of the marsh, finding blue flowers that talked when one got too close to them... These were the echo flowers Sans had mentioned. Still... a flower that gave Papyrus advise... that didn't seem like an ordinary flower. Could it have been Flowey? Even if it was... why would the flower give advice or flatter Papyrus? Even stranger still... why tell him predictions of things to happen? How did Flowey even know? As ground gave way to a bridge, the child began to learn of the history of monsters through glowing tablets on the walls that lit up when they came close. One had a drawing of a monster that was rather unsettling. Was this the reason monsters were attacking? Because of the war with humans long ago? Crossing into another room there was an ominous feeling in the air, like someone was... thunk! A spear landed right behind them. Oh crap! The child began running across the bridge as fast as they could but the spears weren't ordinary spears... they paused in the air before taking aim, forcing the child to zigzag along the bridge to keep from being hit. Undyne! Running to the next room, the bridge gave way to ground and tall grass. Thank goodness! They ducked into the grass and then after a while paused to catch their breadth. They could hear the heavy footsteps as Undyne drew closer and closer... crap! Nowhere to go now though as the knight entered the grass. Any movement now would give them away... The child cowered in the grass as she stopped a few feet away. She reached out and plunged her hand forward to grab... the kid from Snowdin! Him again?! Was this kid following? She put the kid back in the grass, let go; took a single step back then turned and walked off. Only once the sound of her footsteps faded did they dare move to the end of the tall grass. The monster kid followed shortly after.

"Yo... did you see that?! Undyne just... touched me! I'm never washing my face ever again! Man, are you unlucky. If you were just standing a **little** bit to the left...!" _I wouldn't call that being unlucky... she really has it out for me..._

"Yo! Don't worry! I'm sure we'll see her again!" _Any time soon would be too soon..._ They thought as the kid ran off like before. The next room had a "save point" and they were happy to see it. That had been close... too close. The next room after that they saw Sans standing by a telescope. What was he doing here? Wasn't he supposed to be at his post or something?

"Hey Sans."

"Hey kiddo! Say, I'm thinking about getting into the telescope business. It's normally 50,000g to use this premium telescope... but... since I know you, you can use it for free. Howzabout it?"

"Sure!" It seemed like a cool thing so the child stepped up and used it, but there was nothing to see but red... They moved back, what the heck? They looked at Sans.

"Huh? Aren't you satisfied? Don't worry. I'll give you a full refund." Eh? That didn't make any sense... why was Sans winking? Confused, the child walked off until they saw their reflection in a nearby pool of water.

"Sans!" The child cried before the both of them fell into a fit of giggles.

"Here kiddo. L-let me help ya." He pulled out a cloth and helped clean off the ink.

"There, good as new." The child beamed.

"That's an awesome trick there. Thanks Sans. I'll be seeing you around." The other nodded with a smile watching the child walk off. Papyrus was alive and well... so why was he still having those nightmares? Why was he forced to watch as Undyne was cut down mercilessly as Papyrus had been? Why was he still dreaming about his friends dying? He watched the child move on, humming happily as they ventured further from the skeleton. Sans knew that Undyne would likely hunt down the child... he'd keep an eye out. Of course he wasn't going to directly interfere unless need be. He wasn't going to let his friends be cut down of course. As far as this child went... they were okay... but he didn't know enough to call them a friend yet. The door near Sans had only led to an ice cream seller who had sold Nice Cream, but at a higher price than the child could afford at the moment so they'd sadly passed up getting more. Instead, they'd headed on through the marshy area, encountering more monsters and solving a couple more puzzles. Almost everywhere the child looked there were echo flowers, though they never said anything near one so not to erase anything on the flowers now. In a patch of grass they found a pair of ballet shoes. After putting them on the phone rang, the child glanced at it; it was Papyrus again.

"Hello! This is Papyrus! Remember when I asked you about clothes?"

"Yes."

"Well, the friend who wanted to know... Her opinion of you is very... Murdery." _Yeah... I got that impression alright._

"But I bet you knew that already! And because you knew that... I told her what you told me you were wearing! A dusty tutu. Because I knew, of course, after such a suspicious question... You would obviously change your clothes!" _I didn't... but I wish I had..._

"You're such a smart cookie! This way you're safe and I didn't lie! No betrayal anywhere!" _Oh boy..._

"Being friends with everyone is easy!" _What an odd thing to say..._ They thought as he hung up. With a shake of the head, the child went on their way, hoping not to run into Undyne again. Twice in one day was a little much! Although, it was a little unnerving seeing the tentacles of Onionsan the first time the giant octopus was actually rather friendly and had kept them company until they'd reached the end of the room. More tablets were along the walls and more and more the child began to understand how things had come to be as they were. In a room where water fell like rain was a trashcan full of umbrellas, the child picked one up and thought about the statue they'd seen earlier... going back they put the umbrella over the statue and listened as a music box began playing. What a lovely sound! The child went on from there after picking up another umbrella, the sound of the music echoed through the corridor and was a lot better than the persisting silence that had been before. Happily the child continued on their way. An alcove not far into the corridor caught their attention. It was that monster kid again!

"Yo, you have an umbrella? Awesome!" It was obvious this kid didn't because, well, they didn't have any arms or hands to hold one with. The kid came out and ducked underneath.

"Let's go!" The child continued on with the monster child staying close at hand to keep underneath and keep from getting any more wet than they already were.

"Man, Undyne is soooooo cool." The monster kid said, striking up a random conversation; not wanting to put the kid off... the child said nothing in return, but this didn't seem to discourage them.

"She beats up the bad guys and _never_ loses; if I were a human, I would wet the bed every night... knowing she was gonna beat me up! Ha ha!"

"So... one time, we had a school project where we had to take care of a flower. The king - we had to call him "Mr. Dreemur" - volunteered to donate his own flowers. He ended up coming to school and teaching the class about responsibility and stuff. That got me thinking..." The child just listened quietly.

"Yo! How COOL would it be if Undyne came to school?! She could beat up ALL the teachers!" Beat up the teachers? Did this kid not like school? An uncomfortable silence seemed to occur before the kid spoke up again.

"Um... maybe not beat up the teachers. She's too cool to ever hurt an innocent person!" _I dunno about that..._ The child didn't have the heart to tell the kid the truth. Passing out of the cavern, a castle could be seen in the distance... was that it? It looked to be... the final destination. The child paused only a moment to look at it before continuing on. Ducking into the tunnel that also seemed to be "raining" inside. The two came to a cliff that seemed too high to be climbed. There was a trashcan with umbrellas in it nearby, the child put their umbrella in the can and went over to the other kid.

"Yo, this ledge is way too steep... Yo, you want to see Undyne, right? Climb on my shoulders." The child did so and was able to pull themselves up to the top of the ledge, but what about the monster kid? The child turned back to them.

"Yo, you go on ahead. Don't worry about me. I always find a way to get through!" Yeah... they sure seemed to... With a slight smile and a wave, the child went on. They really hoped that Undyne wasn't up ahead... but if she was... well, there'd be no avoiding meeting her again likely.


	7. 6: Monster Kid and Undyne

In the next room there wasn't any rain, but it was darker than the room before; the child felt a bit of unease but the sparkle of a save point helped ease that. They touched it before moving on... why was it darker in that spot only? Seeing more tablets proved to enlighten the child more about the war between humans and monsters. A bridge was ahead, it wasn't straight as one might expect most bridges to be. Oh well, at least the way was brightly lit. The child stopped suddenly, what was that bright light on the bridge? Another one appeared behind them... then another and another until there were several of these glowing spots and suddenly spears thrust from them. Oh no! It couldn't be... but there was no other explanation. When the spears disappeared the child ran forward; the glowing spots continued to appear, the sound of the heavy footfalls below let them know that Undyne was a floor below and was thrusting the spears up through... whatever those glowing spots were. The child kept moving to dodge the spears though several times finding only a dead end. The longer they were in an area the more quickly and more numerous the spears became and they were harder and harder to dodge until finally the child found a way that led from the area. They moved to the end only to find another dead end... oh great. No other option now. The sound of the knight's footsteps was gone along with the spears. With a deep breath, the child headed back the way they'd come only to stop at the sound of the heavy footsteps. Undyne appeared and walked forward a few steps before stopping. What was she doing? Suddenly spears dug into the bridge and the child let out a yelp as the half of the bridge broke and they tumbled into the darkness...

" _It sounds like it came from over here... Oh! You've fallen down, haven't you..." A voice seemed to say gently._

" _Are you okay? Here, get up... Chara, huh? That's a nice name. My name is..."_

The sewers, ugh... what a smell! That's what this had to be. The smell of garbage was everywhere! So wait... how were there flowers here? The child stood up, looking down at the flowers that had broken their fall. Flowers... they'd been there the first time they'd fallen too. Fallen into this world that was the Underground. Not just any flowers... golden flowers... Flowey? No, that didn't make any sense... but since when did that flower make any sense? Pushing the thoughts aside, the child stepped into the waters with a sigh... man did it smell... it was going to be hard to get this smell out of clothing too. Well... hopefully there'd be someone willing to help once they were out of here... maybe Sans would..? Well, what were the odds of seeing that friendly skeleton again? Still, there was always the hope and that was enough to allow them the determination to press forward; nothing seemed out of the ordinary until of course they passed an old training dummy... turned out that wasn't just a busted dummy... it had been possessed. That had been a bizarre encounter really when there had been no other monsters around; not until near the end though when an old friend showed up and interrupted the Fight. They'd never been so happy to see someone they knew, it wasn't Sans of course... or even Toriel, though there was still the hope of seeing her before they left. Toriel had been so kind... and who knew where the monster kid was... of course Papyrus wouldn't likely have been caught skulking around this place without a reason... Unfortunately the ghostly friend hadn't stuck around, but it had allowed them to continue on. Moving forward, the child smiled a little upon seeing Napstablook hovering near a "save point."

"Hey... my house is up here... In case you want to see... or in case... you don't." He floated towards a house in the distance, there were two actually and they leaned opposite directions; the child wondered who the pinkish one belonged to before going to the blue house after touching the sparkling "save point" so far the child wasn't sure what the point of touching them was... only knowing that they felt safe every time they did. So, it had become a habit to touch one every time one was spotted... a new one anyway. The child went into Nastablook's house.

"Oh... you really came... Sorry, I... wasn't expecting that." The child felt bad for the ghost, he always seemed so down on himself.

"It's not much but make yourself at home."

"Um, maybe you can help with my clothes? I think they need washing."

"Oh... well, um... all I have is a blanket if you want to borrow it while you wash them."

"That's fine, thanks." While the clothes were drying, the child held the blanket around them and looked about the house. There were a few old tunes lying about, ready to be played at a whim, a spider's web in one corner, A computer desk, a fridge and between the fridge and the computer was a TV. Curious, the child went over to the fridge; after all... what did ghost monsters eat?

"Oh... are you hungry...? I can get you something to eat..." The child moved aside and Napstablook pulled out what looked like a most impossible thing.

"This is a ghost sandwich... do you want to try it...?"

"Mmhmm!." It was one of the strangest things they'd ever seen, but why not try it?"

"Okay." It looked like an ordinary sandwich mostly... although it looked a little translucent the child figured that it couldn't hurt to try it, but trying to take a bite of the offered sandwich only ended with phasing through it and instead it was like trying to eat air... Well... that hadn't gone well. The child looked at Napstablook in something of confusion.

"Oh... nevermind..." There was a moment of silence.

"After a great meal I like to lie on the ground and feel like garbage..." Feel like garbage? What was that like? Would it be fun?

"It's a family tradition... Do you want... to join me...?"

"Sure."

"Okay... follow my lead." The two of them lay down on the floor in the middle of the room.

"Here we go... You'll lie down as long as you don't move..." Okay, that seemed to make sense.

"So... only move around when you want to get up, I guess." They lay there for a while, it wasn't exactly what the child called fun, but they reflected back on how far they had come since first meeting Napstablook back at the Ruins after Toriel had left. They'd come a fair distance since falling down that hole and landing here, but there was still a ways to go and the child had no doubt that there were plenty of obstacles that still would stand in their way. _Even so... I have to get home..._ They thought, filled with determination, they stood up; Napstablook stood up as well.

"Well, that was nice... Thank you..." The child smiled and left. It was time to continue on with the journey through this place, it wasn't humid really but it wasn't cool either; it was surprisingly just the right temperature. Like the perfect day only it seemed to be everywhere around this place. After exploring the place they found that the only path that wasn't a dead end was the path that led off to the right side of the path they'd come through when they had left the sewage area. Following this path there was a box and a shop run by a turtle; these magical boxes seemed useful at times and seemed to either be everywhere or somehow this box was following them about... either way, the box always contained the same items that had been put in it no matter where the box appeared, which was very helpful. The child bought some cloudy glasses before heading on into the unknown. Oddly enough they came upon a small village of a monster called a Temmie and there was a shop run by one. The shop Temmie insisted on buying the cloudy glasses and the child realized that this could be a good way to make a small profit and did so for a while only to use the profit to send the Temmie off to college and then buy the special item that the Temmie learned to make when they had come back called Temmie Armor. Well, it was expensive but by raising more gold the child bought the armor. It was a little odd, but fit well enough; however by the time this was done the child was exhausted and curled up next to a Temmie and promptly fell asleep. When they awoke, whether it was the next day or not was hard to tell in this place, they found the Temmies snuggled up around them and keeping warm. With a smile the child got up and helped their new friends make breakfast before eating and setting off again. A room with lanterns and magic crystals proved to be a fairly tough challenge, but they got through only to find the next room was so dark it was hard to see more than five feet in front of them. Why was this room so dark? Was that an echo flower next to that wall? The child brushed it only to hear a voice as the flower activated and spoke up.

"Behind you." Behind... ? Who said that and wh- Suddenly light flooded the room, causing them to blink. Turning around there was little surprise to see Undyne was there. Oh great... nowhere to run... and hiding wasn't an option either. She moved closer only to stop a few paces away and then she spoke.

"Seven." Huh?

"Seven human souls. With the power of seven human souls, our king... King Asgore Dreemur... will become a god." Become a god? That didn't sound like the king that the child had been hearing about before.

"With that power, Asgore can finally shatter the barrier. He will finally take the surface back from humanity... and give them back the pain and suffering that we have endured." This certainly didn't sound like the same king... not at all. What pain and suffering was she talking about? Every monster they'd met might have wanted to go to the surface but they hadn't seemed to be suffering in life down here... what could Undyne mean?

"Understand, human? This is your only chance at redemption." Redemption? For what? They thought back... what could they have possibly done that would require that? Was it wrong to make friends down here? Was that it? That didn't make any sense... so what then?

"Give up your soul... or I'll tear it from your body." The child clutched their arms tight in front of them, backing against the wall... terrified... They didn't want to fight this monster... they were mean and... She drew out a spear and charged forward, just as it looked to be like she was about to start a fight there was a rustle nearby and out came... monster kid!

"Undyne! I'll help you fight!" The knight seemed to pause as the kid looked at her then at the child then back again before turning to the child.

"Yo! You did it! Undyne is **right** in front of you! You've got front row seats to her fight!" _How dense could this kid be?_ The monster kid glanced between the two and then a look of confusion crossed its face.

"Wait... Who's she fighting?" The child watched as Undyne put away her spear and grabbed the kid by the cheek, stalking away with him as he protested.

"H-hey! You aren't gonna tell my parents about this, are you?" She vanished with him... the child let out a sigh of relief. It seemed the monster kid's appearance had been a saving grace. As dense as they were... _I should thank them next time I see them._ The child thought and looked around the now-lit room. They weren't sure how Undyne had lit up the room, but it didn't matter... they were able to see now and because if it they spotted a path they hadn't been able to see before and left the room behind. The long hallway of the next room... if one could call it that, had more echo flowers that continued the conversation the child had been hearing in the last area with these flowers; where the "hallway" bended there was another tablet that continued on about the history of monsters and humans; the child read it before going on. The next part was short and a narrow bridge expanded out across what was a rather steep drop; they were finally out of the cavern. No place else to go but across, so they headed across; they'd almost made it all the way when a familiar voice made them pause.

"Yo!" The kid again? How had they gotten away from Undyne? Not like they had any arms or hands... The kid caught up with them.

"Yo! I know I'm not supposed to be here, but... I wanna ask you something." _Ask me something?_

"... Man, I've never had to ask anyone this before... Umm... Yo... You're human, right?" The child nodded and the kid laughed.

"Man! I knew it! ... Well, I know it now, I mean..." What was their point?

"Undyne told me, um, 'stay away from that human.' So, like, umm... I guess that makes us enemies or something. But I kinda stink at that ha ha." That made them enemies?

"Yo, say something mean so I can hate you? Please?" That was the most ridiculous request ever, the child thought about it a moment then shook their head. They couldn't do that.

"Yo, what? So I have to do it? Here goes nothing..." Why were they determined to do this?

"Yo I... I hate your guts." There was a moment of silence.

"Man, I... I'm such a turd. I'm... I'm gonna go home now." The child watched as the kid backed off then turn and ran. They didn't have time to call out a warning as the child tripped and slipped over the edge! Clamping onto the wood with their teeth was the only thing that saved them from plunging into the darkness below, their cry for help muffled.

"Yo! W-w-wait! Help! I tripped!" The child saw, as well as heard, Undyne approach; without a second thought, however, they ran towards the monster child and knelt near the edge to grab a hold of their loose skin and hauled them back onto the bridge. This child, however dense, had saved them earlier... it was only right to repay them back in kind and even if that hadn't been the case they simply couldn't watch someone simply plummet to their doom. Undyne paused where she was, several feet away; the monster child between the two of them just like several minutes before. The kid bravely took a step forward.

"Y... y... yo... dude... If... if y-you wanna hurt my friend... You're gonna have to get through me, first." Rather than take up the challenge, the child watched as Undyne took a few steps back, then a few more, then simply turned around and left. The kid turned back.

"She's gone... Yo, you really saved my skin. Guess being enemies was just a nice thought, haha. We'll just have to be friends instead." The child smiled.

"Man, I should _really_ go home... I bet my parents are worried sick about me." He started to walk off only to pause and turn.

"Later, dude." He then left, leaving the child to continue on through the area alone again. The cavern seemed to give way to a smaller cavern ahead. There was also a "save point" nearby, this made the child wonder what could possibly be ahead as they approached the "save point" and touched it. Only one way to find out. Mustering up their courage, the child approached the cavern; something made them pause and look up and standing atop the cavern before them was none other than Undyne. How had she gotten ahead so quickly?

"Seven. Seven human souls, and King Asgore will become a god." This again? Was she going to repeat herself?

"Six. That's how many we have collected thus far. Understand?" She looked down at them.

"Through your seventh and final soul, this world will be transformed. First, however, as is customary for those who make it this far... I shall tell you the tragic tale of our people." _Eh? Does she mean the story on the tablets that I read?_

"It all started, long ago..." She stopped.

"No, you know what? SCREW IT! WHY SHOULD I TELL THAT STORY WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE!? Ngggggggggghhhhhhhhhh!" She took off her helmet and tossed it aside, revealing blue skin and what looked like the face of a fish monster the child remembered seeing someone draw once, except that her left eye sported an eye patch.

"You're standing in the way of everybody's hopes and dreams! Alphy's history books made me think humans were cool..." Alphys? As in Dr. Alphys that Papyrus had talked about?

"With their giant robots and flowery swordswomen." Wait... what? Giant robots?! What was she talking about?

"BUT YOU? You're just a coward! Hiding behind that kid so you could run away from me again!" Well, that was only partly true and it hadn't been on purpose either time... but Undyne **was** scary!

"And let's not forget your wimpy goody-two-shoes-schtick!" Schtick? Did Undyne think that was just an act? This was a bunch of nonsense!

"Ooooh! I'm making such a difference by hugging random strangers!" The child winced at the mockery, but it wasn't anything new... _S-she's... just another bully!_ The child thought frantically... and a really scary one! The ones the child remembered had nothing on her!

"You know what would be more valuable to everyone? IF YOU WERE DEAD!" _N-No! Th-that c-can't be true! P-payrus... S-sans... Napstablook... T-toriel! S-someone... a-anyone...p-please help me!_ The child shook in fear.

"That's right, human! Your continued existence is a crime!" How was it a crime to exist? This woman didn't make any sense!

"Your life is all that stands between us and our freedom!" Why did this seem so familiar? The child shook, but they knew there had to be another way... there just had to be! Wasn't that why... ? Something rang true in their mind even as Undyne continued to speak...

"Right now, I can feel everyone's hearts pounding together! Everyone's been waiting their whole lives for this moment! but we're not nervous at all. When everyone puts their hearts together, they can't lose!" They couldn't fight their way out of this one... mercy wasn't an option here... Undyne didn't want mercy... but the child didn't want to fight either...

"Now, human! Let's end this, right here, right now. I'll show you how determined monsters can be! Step forward when you're ready. Fuhuhuhu!"

Run. It was all they could do... this seemed so familiar, but they'd worry about that later as they darted forward to try and make it past her and into the cave but Undyne was faster and cut them off; starting the Fight that the child didn't want.

"Un garde!" She cried and swiped her blade, it hit the child's soul but strangely it didn't hurt... instead their soul turned green! What could this mean? They tried to get away only to find that they were routed in the area before her!

"As long as you're green you can't escape!" Oh no! The child had no choice but to dodge as much as they could but her attacks were fast... faster than any monster that the child had faced up to. Despite that Undyne had tossed a spear to them to defend against her attacks it did no good... The child cried out as a spear pierced their heart and pain rippled through them as it shattered and everything went dark...


	8. 7: Undyne

Well, wasn't that an annoyance? The spear lady actually had some bite to her. _You're not going to stop me..._ They thought with a grin and moved forward again through the Waterfall area and back to where that kid was... again the kid had attacked and yet again Undyne, the idiot, had taken the blow... Why the other insisted on tossing a spear to them was something that they didn't understand but it helped in dodging attacks by blocking most of them. Not that there was any space to really move on this narrow bridge but that didn't stop the child. Again and again... spears came from all sides but the more times that the child faced this woman the more and more predictable her moves became. _This is becoming too easy..._ With a final strike the fish woman finally staggered back. A smirk touched their lips.

"Some heroine... you couldn't even save yourself! How did you expect to stop me and save the world if you couldn't even manage to keep yourself from dying?"

"Heh... heheheheh..." What was she laughing about?

"If you... If you think I'm gonna give up hope, you're wrong." What was with that cheesy grin?

" 'Cause I've got my friends behind me. Alphys told me that she would watch me fight you... And if anything went wrong, she would... evacuate everyone." _Damn it... but that won't stop me... this only delays the inevitable..._

"By now she's called Asgore and told him to absorb the six human souls." She began to struggle to speak now.

"And with that power..." She quite literally began to melt before their eyes.

"This world will live on...!" She scattered into the wind as dust.

"Hmph. Good riddance." The child murmured before moving on through the area. Undyne had been nothing but a pain in the side since appearing and that monster kid had been a helpless idiot; that had almost been some free gold, but Undyne had interfered... Now the only sound was of the few droplets of fresh blood on the blade. The child flicked them off and continued on with a smile. Blessed silence. Well, except of course for that music box that they could almost not hear anymore with as far away as they were from it now; even the echoes of it were very faint. Feeling hungry, the child looked in their pockets and found a Nice Cream they'd stolen; the child enjoyed the treat as they continued on out of the cavern only to frown a little when they saw another cave. Oh well. What was one more cave? It was just another stop along the road to the castle.

With a gasp the child woke up, eyes wide in fright as they shook; curled up next to the "save point." _A-another... n-nightmare..._ Wait... what had happened? Hadn't they been fighting Undyne? The child slowly sat up and looked around. They were in front of the cavern. It was radiating a faint heat. That seemed familiar. The child looked up only to see that Undyne was waiting on top of the cavern... _S-so... th-that's what the-these are f-for..._ The child thought, looking at the twinkling little star. The child rubbed their chest where their heart would be... that had hurt... it had hurt a lot! Was that really what it was like to die? What about that voice they'd heard before the nightmare that had told them to stay determined? Who's voice was that? Why did they want them to keep going? The child shook their head... somehow they had to get past Undyne... Getting to their feet they moved forward and, like before, found that they couldn't get past her. This time, however, they managed to block enough spears that Undyne had swiped at their soul again and had taken away the green color. Allowing them to run. So they ran as fast as they could past her and into the cavern's hallway; unfortunately Undyne was right behind after a few seconds delay and the Fight began a second time... again, like before, she turned their heart green.

"You've escaped from me for the LAST time!" They hoped that wasn't true as they faced the barrage of spears again; it was harder to block them this time but the child didn't give up and soon the opportunity to escape came again and so they ran off while Undyne following to the next hallway with a sign that flashed something, some sort of welcome but the child was too busy running to care about reading whatever the sign said. Suddenly the phone rang. NOW of all times?! The child answered it, and surprisingly Undyne paused a moment as the child did to answer the phone... was that typical? Well, it would give them a chance to catch their breath a moment then.

"Hey! What's up?!" _Nothing... just running for my life here..._ The child thought, but didn't have the breath to reply to Papyrus.

"I was just thinking... You, me and Undyne should all hang out sometime!" _Sure... right after she dices me up again..._ The child thought with a hint of sarcasm. Papyrus really wasn't all that bright...

"I think you would make great pals!"

"Sure... pals..." They managed.

"Let's meet up at her house later!" _Sure... why not... if I can get her to stop trying to kill me._ Papyrus hung up and the chase was on again... the child ran as fast as they could, but Undyne caught up again.

"STOP RUNNING AWAY!" Again she made their soul green... it was even HARDER now to dodge her attacks but some how they managed and scrambled down the hallway. It was hot! The previously humid hallway gave way to what looked like a volcano! Sans was asleep at a nearby post... Oh man! What a time for that skeleton to sleep!

"Sans!" Calling out did no good and Undyne was too close! The child ran across the bridge, sparing a glance back only to see that Undyne had stopped at the station and she didn't look happy to find Sans asleep on the job. Fearing that she'd continue the chase the child ran across the bridge as fast as they could and made it to the other side. Undyne had indeed followed but now her steps were slowing and she halted near the end of the bridge.

"Armor... so... hot... But I can't... give up..." She walked a few more steps only to collapse. The child looked over at her, she didn't move and looked hot... too hot for a fish lady. They glanced around, how could they possibly... Ah! There was a water cooler nearby with water and cups! The child ran over to it, grabbed a cup and hurried back to Undyne, splashing her with the water. Undyne slowly got up after a moment and looked at them as if seeing them for the very first time... as if seeing a human for the first time. She looked around, but there was no one around but them now... She walked back across the bridge again and was gone. They'd done it. Relief coursed through the child a little while until they realized just how hot THEY were and went back to the cooler for a cup of water. Drinking it down before pressing on... it was so hot that the empty cup evaporated! Oh man... talk about ridiculous... but at least that took care of the cup. A pair of guards in armor stood guard near one section, ahead was another "save point" which the child didn't hesitate to touch. This one might really come in handy; the last one certainly had! Not that they wanted to go through death again but... just in case something happened... The guards didn't let the child pass, so to the laboratory ahead it was... hopefully no one was there, but wait... hadn't Papyrus said something about meeting up? They left the lab alone for the moment and headed to the path below which led to a river... person... they hadn't said whether they were male or female and the dark cowl they wore obscured any vision of what they even looked like so it didn't matter too much... and there was no charge to ride with them so the child opted to head back to Waterfall to meet up with Papyrus. The boat person sang a wordless tune until the boat stopped on the shore.

"Thanks."

"Come back any time." The child smiled a little and headed up and back to the place where they recalled Napstablook had lived... sure enough Papyrus was standing in front of a house in one of the other dead ends, this house looked sort of like a huge fish with a menacing expression.

"Oho! The human arrives! Are you ready to hang out with Undyne? I have a plan to make you two great friends!" The child nodded, hopefully the fish woman wouldn't try to kill them this time.

"Okay! Stand behind me! Psst. Make sure to give her this! She loves these!" He held out a bone with a ribbon on it; the child wasn't so sure of that but didn't argue. He knocked and soon the... were those real teeth? ... parted to reveal Undyne in a black T-shirt and blue jeans.

"Hi, Papyrus! Ready for your extraprivate, one-on-one training?" Well, she seemed friendly enough with him...

"You bet I am! And I brought a friend!" What part of private did this skeleton not get? He moved aside.

"Hi, I don't think we've..." Her expression went from friendly to irritated in a flash as she stared at the child. She glanced over at Papyrus, but he didn't say anything. She tried again for a friendly face but it was more scary than friendly really.

"Why don't. You two. Come in?" It was obviously a strain for her to be civil. Papyrus didn't seem to notice and happily went in; the child followed, obviously she was doing this for his benefit and not their's... well, two could play that game. The home was nice, the floor was yellow and blue tiles, a piano stood off to one side just beyond a window with a purple rug beneath it. Ahead and off to the right was a table that sat on a rug and a large sword lay on propped up against the wall. The back wall held the kitchen area and a door to the far left might have led to a bedroom..

"Here, Undyne. My friend brought a gift for you, on their own."

"Uhhhh... thanks." She took the bone that Papyrus held out to her.

"I'll, uh, put it with the others." She opened a drawer that was full of bones with ribbons on them... exactly like the one Papyrus had just handed her. Did he do this often?

"So, are we ready to start?"

"Whoopsy Doopsy! I just remembered! I have to go to the bathroom! You two have fun!" Wait, what? He was a skeleton! He didn't have... did he? The two watched as he hurled himself out the nearest window... _Well then..._ That was something the child didn't want to think too hard on, especially since there didn't seem to be any bathrooms anywhere... _Come to think of it... even though I've eaten their food I haven't really needed to go myself... what kind of food exactly is it that they've been giving me?_ The question lingered only a few moments before Undyne turned back to them.

"So why are _you_ here? To rub your victory in my face?" The child stared, victory? What was she talking about?

"To humiliate me even further? Is that it?" The child shook their head. This had been Papyrus' idea.

"Then why are you here?"

"Papyrus asked me to come.

"Wait... I get it! You think that I'm gonna be friends with you, huh? Right?" Well... that was the idea behind Papyrus' request...

"Yes."

"Really? How delightful! I accept! Let's all frolick in the fields of friendship!" Was she being serious right now or...?

"NOT." Okay, so that was sarcasm. Why did Papyrus think this was a good idea again?

"Why would I ever be friends with **you**?! If you weren't my houseguest, I'd beat you up right now! You're the enemy of everyone's hopes and dreams! I will never be your friend!" The child looked at Undyne in confusion. Never? Why not? It wasn't like they'd hurt anyone or was keep anyone away from anything... right?

"Now get out of my house!" Papyrus popped up next to the window.

"Dang! What a shame... I thought Undyne could be friends with you." The two looked over at him. Had he been there the whole time?

"But I guess... I overestimated her. She's just not up to the challenge." Maybe he was smarter than he acted...

"Challenge?! What?!" She cried even as he left again.

"Papyrus! Wait a second...! Darnit!" She turned back to the child, the other was long gone.

"He thinks I can't be friends with **you**?! Fuhuhu! What a joke! I could make friends with a wimpy loser like you any day! I'll show him!" Oh boy.

"Listen up, human. We're not just going to be friends." _We aren't?_

"We're gonna be... BESTIES." The child just smiled.

"I'll make you like me so much you won't be able to think of anyone else! Fuhuhuhu! It's the _perfect revenge_!" _Revenge? On who?_

"Why don't you have a seat?" The child sat down at the table.

"Comfortable? I'll get you something to drink." She went to the fridge and then pulled out various things and set them on the counter.

"All set. What would you like?" The child shifted and in a flash a spear had broke the table in two!

"HEY! Don't get up! You're the guest! Sit down and enjoy yourself!" The child looked at Undyne in confusion.

"Um, why not just point to what you want? You can use the spear!" They picked it up off the table, it surprisingly came out pretty easy. It wasn't hot to the touch or anything like that despite that it was blue and made from Undyne's magic rather than being an ordinary weapon. The child pointed to the tea.

"Tea huh? Coming right up." She fixed a kettle of water and set the tea and sugar inside in varying amounts.

"It'll take a moment for the water to boil. In no time at all the kettle let out a shrill whistle.

"Okay, it's all done!" She put a bit more sugar in with a cup before setting it before the child.

"Here we are." She sat at the other end.

"Careful, it's hot." The child wasn't entirely sure what to make of all this honestly. Was she really going to make an effort to be a friend or was she just doing this because of Papyrus?

"It's not _that_ hot! Just drink it already!" She commented as they blew gently before taking a sip. It was still burning hot, but other than that it was pretty good. What was her definition of hot then? The Hotlands kind of hot? That, the child had found out when backtracking, was what the name of that place had been that they'd been chased to when Undyne had been trying to kill them. The boat person had been full of information like that.

"It's pretty good, right?" They nodded.

"Nothing but the best for my ABSOLUTELY PRECIOUS FRIEND!" Really? There was a moment of silence.

"Hey... You know... It's kind of strange you chose _that_ tea. Golden flower tea... That's Asgore's favorite kind. Actually, now that I think about it... You kind of remind me of him. You're both **total** weenies!" _Huh?_

"... Sort of." What did she mean by that?

"Y'know I was pretty hotheaded kid." _More so than now?_

"Once, to prove I was the strongest, I tried to fight Asgore. Emphasis on _tried._ I couldn't land a single blow on him! And worse, the whole time, he refused to fight back! I was so humiliated..." Why was she telling the child this? Was she really taking this friendship thing seriously finally?

"Afterwards, he apologized and said something goofy... 'Excuse me, do you want to know how to beat me?' ... I said yes, and from then on, he trained me." _No wonder she was so tough... but if Asgore is anything like I've been hearing... then I shouldn't have anything to worry about!_

"One day, during training, I finally knocked him down. I felt... bad, but he was beaming... I had never seen someone more proud to get their butt kicked! Anyway, long story short, he kept on training me... And now I'm the head of the Royal Guard! So I'm the one who gets to train dorks to fight! ... like, uh, Papyrus." There was a moment of silence.

"But, um, to be honest... I don't know if... I can ever let Papyrus into the Royal Guard. Don't tell him I said that!"

"I won't, but... why not?"

"He's just... well... I mean, it's not that he's weak. He's actually pretty freaking tough! It's just that... he's... He's too innocent and nice!" The child nodded after a moment. Maybe it was the skeleton's dream, but they honestly couldn't see him being one to pick fights like Undyne had... or even wanting to fight honestly... he'd probably just try to make friends with everyone... It wasn't a bad thing, but for that sort of job... it just wasn't a good thing either.

"I mean, look, he was supposed to _capture_ you... and he ended up being **friends** with you instead!" The child had to admit she had a valid point.

"I could **never** send him into battle! He'd get ripped into smiling little shreds. That's part of why... I started teaching him how to cook, you know? So, um, maybe he can do something else with his life... Oh, sorry, I was talking for so long..."

"It's okay."

"You're out of tea, aren't you?" The child nodded, having drank the entire cup while listening to the story. It had been pretty enlightening really to learn all of this about Undyne and Papyrus.

"I'll get you some more." Half way to getting more she paused and turned back.

"Wait a second. Papyrus... His cooking lesson... HE WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE THAT RIGHT NOW!" Did this mean he was in trouble with her for skipping out?

"And if **he's** not here to have it... YOU'LL HAVE TO HAVE IT FOR HIM INSTEAD!" _Um..._

She leapt up onto the counter and walked along, knocking everything off but the tea kettle.

"That's right! **Nothing** has brought me and Papyrus closer than cooking! Which means that if I give you his lesson... We'll become closer than you can ever imagine!" The child wasn't certain things worked that way... but was willing to give it a shot.

"Fuhuhuhu! Afraid!?" _Not really..._

"We're gonna be best friends!" She leapt from the counter to land over next to the child, grabbed them by the head and leapt over the table to the counter and set them down before the pain could even register.

"Let's start with the sauce." She stomped her foot and vegetables fell from a shelf onto the counter in front of them.

"Envision these vegetables as your greatest enemy!" _My greatest enemy?_ The child thought a moment as they looked at the vegetables.

"Now! Pound them to dust with your fists!" _Um... well okay..._ The child had to think long and hard on this one... there really wasn't anyone they wanted to hurt... It just wasn't in their nature so they just imagined them to be what they were and what they needed the vegetables to be and started punched at them as hard as they could, managing to knock over a tomato.

"Yeah! Yeah! Our hearts are uniting against these healthy ingredients! Now it's my turn!" She punched so hard that the tomato splattered on the wall and them both.

"Uhh, we'll just scrape this into a bowl later."

"Okay."

"But for NOW..." Another stop and a kettle dropped from a shelf with a box of noodles. It became clear she had to do this often.

"... we add the noodles. Homemade noodles are the best! But I just buy store brand! They're the cheapest!" Okay then, the child wasn't sure that mattered too much here.

"Uhh, just put them in the pot." The child threw the noodles in... box and all because... why not?

"Yeah! I'm into it! Alright! Now it's time to stir the pasta! As a general rule of thumb, the more you stir the better it is! Ready? Let's do it!" The child stirred as fast and as hard as they could.

"Stir harder!" The child tried.

"Harder!" They tried harder.

"HARDER!" They couldn't though, they had nothing more to give...

"Ugh, let me do it!" A spear appeared and slammed repeatedly into the pot, crushing most of it...

"Fuhuhuhuhuh! That's the stuff! Alright, now for the final step: turn up the heat!" Was this really a good idea? Well... it was her house and she was the instructor...

"Let the stovetop symbolize your passion! Let your hopes and dreams turn into burning fire! READY? Don't hold anything back!"

"Okay!" The child turned up the heat as high as it could go, the pot began flaming a little... then a lot...

"Hotter!" Soon the flames engulfed the pot itself.

"HOTTER DARNIT!" The flames grew.

"HOTTER!" The flames leapt even higher.

"Wait that's too -" There was nothing left of the pot and now the house was on fire...

"Ah. Man, no wonder Papyrus sucks at cooking." _No wonder..._ The child thought, glancing around at the various burning parts of the house. The pasta had exploded and flown everywhere... it was a wonder the two of them hadn't been hit by any of it.

"So, what's next? Scrapbooking? Friendship bracelets? ... Oh, who am I kidding. I really screwed this up, didn't I? I can't force you to like me, human. Some people just can't get along with each other. I understand if you feel that way about me. And if we can't be friends..." _Uh oh..._

"That's okay. Because... if we're not friends... IT MEANS I CAN DESTROY YOU WITHOUT REGRET!" The child didn't really think this was a place for a Fight but that wasn't stopping Undyne who made a spear.

"I've been defeated... My house is in shambles... I even failed to befriend you. That's it. I don't care if you're my guest anymore. One final rematch!" _Now? Um... well I guess she's not giving me a choice..._

"All out on both sides! IT'S THE ONLY WAY I CAN REGAIN MY LOST PRIDE! NOW COME ON! HIT ME WITH ALL YOU'VE GOT! NGAHHHHH!" This didn't feel right... but if this was what it took... the child tensed as if going to hit her with all they had... but it was barely even a tap in truth.

"What. That's the best you can manage? Even attacking at full force... You just can't muster any intent to hurt me, huh? ... Heh, ya know what?" The spear vanished as she dropped it.

"I don't really want to hurt you either. At first. I hated your stupid saccharine schtick, but... The way you hit me right now, it... Reminded me of someone I used to train with. Now I know you aren't just some wimpy loser." She grinned.

"You're a wimpy loser with a big heart! Just like him... Listen, human. It seems that you and Asgore are fated to fight, but knowing him... He probably doesn't want to. Talk to him. I'm sure you can persuade him to let you go home. Eventually, some mean human will fall down here... And I'll take **their** soul instead. That makes sense, right? Fuhuhu. Oh, and if you _do_ hurt Asgore... I'll take the human souls, cross the barrier... and beat the hell out of you!" _Ah... right... got it..._

"That's what friends are for, right?"

"Um... right..." She chuckled.

"Now, let's get out of this flaming house!" The two of them left, the house's previously malevolent expression now seemed to be crying... if a house could cry.

"Well, that was fun, huh?" _Uhhh... up until burning the house down..._

"We'll have to hang out again another time...! But, uh, somewhere else I guess. In the meantime, I guess I'll go hang out with Papyrus. So if you need anything, drop by Snowdin, ok?! Oh! And if you ever need help... Just give Papyrus a ring, ok? Since we're in the same spot, I'll be able to talk to you too! Well, see ya later, punk!" With that she left, leaving the child to continue on their way to see Asgore.


	9. 8: Dr Alphys and Mettaton's Game Show

The child watched her leave before heading off back to the boat person to go back to the Hotlands. The guards were still there by the save point. Could Undyne help? The child thought a moment, well she WAS the head of the Royal Guard was she not? Maybe she could convince them to move. The child neared the guards, who just watched, and pulled out the phone, dialing Papyrus' number. The phone rang twice before someone picked it up.

"Um... Undyne, do you think you might be able to help me? There are two Royal Guards blocking my path near a lab."

"What?! Then I'll tell them to...! Well, nothing I guess."

"Huh?"

"I already told them to seek out and destroy you!" What did that have to do with anything?

"And I can't just tell them I've changed my mind."

"Why not?"

"You see, Alphys showed me these animations about... uh, humans? So I could learn their weaknesses?" She didn't seem too sure.

"And one of them is about this human that, uh... Well suffice to say they can control people's minds!" Was there a human like that? It didn't seem possible but...

"Surprised? I know your kind's hidden power!" _Hidden power? I don't have anything like that... but then again Flowey mentioned something about power over this world... was that what it meant?_

"Anyway, I told my crew that if I ever defended a human I must be under some kind of mind control!" _Hmmm, well I'm pretty sure I don't have that power... but I guess it can't hurt to try it the next time I see someone..._

"And to disregard **everything** I tell them!" Well darn...

"So, sorry... but my hands are tied." That settled that then, there was no other path but hopefully one through the laboratory.

"By the way, that animation is really good!" Click. Well that was the end of that then. The child turned away from the guards and headed towards the laboratory. What sort of lab was this? A science lab? A tech lab? Would there be robots or chemical experiments? Only one way to find out... The child headed towards the door, it slid open soundlessly. Just like in the movies. High tech no doubt. The child stepped inside.

"We must go! It's not safe here! The human will surely be here soon enough and you're among the last to evacuate." A automated sounding voice came from behind.

"I know." Came the soft reply. The only light in the room came from the large screen that she sat in front of; her expression shadowed much like most of her.

"You're still here." She turned to meet the eyes of someone she hoped she wouldn't have to any time soon.

"S-sans! W-what are you doing here? You should have evacuated by now!"

"What's the point? You saw what happened... didn't you? Undyne told me that you had cameras everywhere."

"W-w-well y-yes."

"Do you have a tape on... Snowdin?"

"Sans no!"

"Alphys... please. I... gotta know. You know how it is. It's my job." There was a moment of silence before she turned away and led him to an older monitor, one in the true lab that had been kept hidden from most other monsters. She had only let those she trusted most see it... or those who needed to know. Only three knew... besides her creation Mettaton of course.

"H-here..." She handed him a vhs and hastily left the room. Mettaton was waiting for her.

"Alphys, please... you know she didn't want you to stay."

"I know... it's just... hard. Let's go."

"A-actually... I.. I think I'm going to stay with Sans."

"W-what?"

"He needs someone and... well... I don't think it's right to leave him to face the human on his own. You know?"

"You're right. O-okay. Just be careful."

"I will be. Promise." Alphys headed for the other door to the lab and was gone. It was quiet for a good long while, but Mettaton's patience was rewarded when the door to the true lab opened again, but it locked behind him automatically as normal. Only Alphys could open it now and she was gone.

"Mettaton? What are you doing here?"

"I didn't think it right to just leave you alone Sans. Alphys programed me to deal with the human. I plan to."

"You really think you can?"

"It's why I was built! I don't know what you plan on doing, but you know as I do that the king will need his guard."

"Heh... yeah. Well, I guess I should leave then."

"Sans."

"Hmm?"

"Are... are you going to be alright?" He stared back at the robot.

"It's just that... you are always making puns and joking and now..."

"Yeah. I know. Look... even someone like me can't be joking all of the time. I'll be alright. In time... ya know? I just gotta... get used to things..." With that he disappeared like he'd never been there. Mettaton let out a quiet sigh. Worried for the monster he considered to be his friend, even if he was just a robot built to kill... who happened to like fashion and music and being on TV... The door to the lab whooshed open. Mettaton turned. It was the human... they were here a lot earlier than expected...

It was dark inside other than the glow of a large screen in the room. It was the only reason they weren't bumping into the numerous boxes and the table and other objects about the room... there was a fridge... maybe, it seemed to be one from a distance anyway... Without lights it was hard to tell. They went up to the screen and saw that they were looking at themselves... sort of. Was this...? Had someone been? They waved a hand, sure enough... like a mirror the image on the screen did the same thing at the same time. It was live feed alright... but who was watching? Had been watching them? Well, it didn't matter too much, though it was kinda creepy... The child continued past the monitor and a table... and what they thought was a fridge only to stop as there was the sound of a different door sliding open followed by footsteps and seconds later light blinded the child as they flickered on and a voice could be heard.

"Oh. My God. I didn't expect you to show up so soon!" So... wait what? As their eyes adjusted and they could look around they noticed that yes they had indeed passed a fridge and now, several feet away was a... reptile in a lab coat with glasses perched on her nose, her skin... scales? were a light orangish hue. She had been expecting them?

"I haven't showered... I'm barely dressed... it's all messy... and..." She spun about frantically the whole time... what was it with monsters and spinning around?

"Um... H-h-hiya! I'm Dr. Alphys. I'm Asgore's royal scientist.

"B-b-but I'm not one of the 'bad guys'!" _There are bad guys?_ The child tilted their head to one side curiously. What did Alphys mean by that? Sure there had been monsters who had seemed scary at first or had attacked... like Undyne... without much mercy at first... but did that mean there really were monsters who meant them harm?

"Actually, since you stepped out of the Ruins, I've, um... been "observing" your journey through my console. Your fights... you friendships... everything! I was originally going to stop you, but... Watching someone on a screen really makes you root for them. S-so, ahhh... now I want to help you! Using my knowledge, I can easily guide you through Hotland!" The child smiled, perhaps this could be the most helpful monster yet! What luck!

"I know a way right to Asgore's castle, no problem!" Alphys seemed to pause and then fidget a little bit.

"Well, actually, umm... there's just a tiny issue." _An issue?_

"A long time ago I made a robot named Mettaton. Originally, I built him to be an entertainment robot. Uh... you know, like a robotic TV star or something. Anyway, recently I decided to make him more useful. You know, just some practical adjustments." Why did this not sound good?

"Like... um... Anti... anti-human combat features? Of c-course, when I saw you coming, I immediately decided... I have to remove those features!" Well, that was a relief! Wait, why did she still seem nervous then?

"Unfortunately, I may have made a teensy mistake while doing so. And, um... Now he's an unstoppable killing machine with a thirst for human blood? Ehehehehe..." How was that possible? Well, guess there really was something to worry about down here. Why hadn't they encountered Mettaton before though?

"Heh. But, um... hopefully we won't run into him." The child nodded, but suddenly the room seemed to shake with a powerful "thud" resounding in the room. What was that? It came again.

"Did you hear something?" The child nodded, the sound continued and the room shook more and more.

"Oh no." Seconds later the room shook even more and the wall burst open. A new automatic voice spoke out.

"Ohhhhh yes!" _Oh crap._ They thought as they got up.

"Welcome beauties..." The voice continued as the dust slowly began to settle and a spotlight hitting onto a box-like robot with arms and balancing on a single wheel... and was that a microphone in one of its hand?

"To today's quiz show!" What? Suddenly lights appeared, colored disco balls and even a neon sign that said "game show" on it lowered and the lights came on again, dimly at first as Mettaton went on as if speaking to an audience.

"Oh boy! I can already tell this is gonna be a great show! Everyone give a big hand for our wonderful contestant!" There was applause and confetti... who was this? Was this really the "killer" robot that Alphys had just warned them about?

"Never played before, gorgeous? No problem! It's simple! There's only one rule." Only one rule?

"Answer correctly... or die." Okay... this had to be that robot then... well... here went nothing... It was mostly easy, especially since Alphys was helping with the answers to the question that the child couldn't possibly know. Unfortunately Mettaton caught on.

"Well, well, well. With Alphys helping you the show has no dramatic tension! We can't go on like this! But... but! This was just the pilot episode! Next up... more drama! More romance! More bloodshed! Until next time darlings..." Then Mettaton's arms and wheel disappeared and they rocketed out of the lab... literally. They stared at the hole in the ceiling a moment before Alphys broke the silence.

"Well, that was certainly something." The child nodded, but that was all Alphys said and they got the feeling that it was time to move on. After looking around a moment again they headed off to the other side of the lab, towards what looked to be another door.

"W-wait! Let me give you my phone number!" The child paused, well it couldn't hurt could it? Especially if they ran into Mettaton again.

"T-then... m-maybe... if you need help, I could..." Alphys looked at the phone that the child held out.

"Wh... where'd you get that phone?! It's ANCIENT! It doesn't even have texting!"

"Texting?"

"W-wait a second, please!" She ran off with the phone to a sort of conveyer belt that went up, there was a lot of noises, including banging and sawing... She then ran back down again and handed the phone back. It was completely different then before!

"Here, I upgraded it for you! It can do texting, items, it's got a keychain... I even signed you up for the Underground's number one social network! Now we're officially friends! Ehehehe!" She sure seemed excited about this. The child smiled at her, this was awesome! Not only was the phone better suited to getting ahold of Undyne or Papyrus, but now they had a new friend to help too! Although what they needed a keychain for they weren't so.

"I'm going to the bathroom." Bathroom? That was a first. Now that they thought about it, they hadn't seen one anywhere or... oddly enough, needed it themselves since coming here. Was it the strangeness of this area that affected that? It didn't bother them though, it was just one other thing that was something they figured they needed to ask some time... but apparently some types of monsters did have bathrooms and used them. So the child walked past the door that clearly had a bathroom sign on it for women and out of the lab. The contrast of the cool environment of the lab and Hotlands was instantly obvious, but it didn't stop the child... they had to get home... how long had they been down here anyway? Was anyone missing them? Did anyone notice? They brushed away tears from their eyes... they couldn't cry... not now... For a moment they stood at the door, brushing away tears. _I just want to go home! I never asked for this..._ They stood there for a long while before their tears were finally spent and they could continue on. They had to be getting closer. It couldn't be too much further.


	10. 9: Cooking With a Killer Robot

The child didn't get more than a few steps before their phone vibrated, they looked at it; it was an update from Alphys:

*just realized i didn't watch the fight between undyne and the human v. v

So Alphys wasn't watching all of the time, it was hard to say if that was a relief or not... what else had the other seen or not seen?

They walked a few more feet and the phone vibrated again:

*well i know she's unbeatable

i'll ask her abt it later ^. ^

Really? Could the doctor used text speak? The child shook their head and continued on, it shouldn't be too surprising really, but the phone vibrated yet again...

*for now i gotta call up the human and guide them =^. ^=

 _Uhhhh... does she realize I can see these?_ The child wondered as they pocketed the phone again and continued on; there seemed to be some interesting monsters in Hotlands... one looked like a plane with a bow on its... head... if a plane could have a head... and another was what looked like a tiny volcano with legs... hugging that one was dangerous for sure! Not long after walking past the first area the phone vibrated yet **again.** _What the... really?!_

*gonna call them in a minute =^. ^=

The child shook their head and stuck the phone back into their pocket. The next room had more conveyer belts, though not in a straight line this time. This was pretty easy so far... what was Alphys worried about? Well, besides Mettaton anyway. Beyond that, the next room had a "save point" and the child eagerly ran over to it and touched it. They flinched a little, remembering just how important such things were... Undyne had proved a formidable foe... and had killed them at least once. They didn't get too far though before the phone vibrated. What the heck? Did Alphys update her status like every five minutes or what? Was she a scientist or an annoying human teenage girl? With a sigh the child withdrew the phone to read it:

*I HATE USING THE PHONE I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS LMAO ^. ^

 _LMAO? What is that supposed to mean?_ Oh well, it wasn't important. This was easy, interesting puzzle as there was a frying pan that the child picked up. Not sure if it would be any good for anything but it was there... and then they went back to the previous room and then went the other way because that first route had been a dead end. Half way through the steam puzzle though the phone vibrated:

*omg i've had my claw over the last digit for 5 minutes

omg i'm just gonna do it

i'm gonna call!

They continued on through the last of the puzzle easily enough. As soon as they landed... sure enough, the phone rang but before the child could answer whoever was on the other end just hung up. _Eh?_ That was just weird. The child moved on to the next room only for the phone to ring again.

"Uhh! H-hi, so, the blue lasers... Uhh! I mean Alphys here! Hi!" _Oh brother..._

"Hi."

"The blue lasers won't hurt you if you don't move!" The child looked at the array of lasers ahead of them, so if the blue ones required standing still then the orange ones...

"O-orange ones, um... Y-you have to be moving and they, um... They won't, um... Move through those ones."

"Blue don't move, orange do move; got it."

"Uhh... bye!" Click. _Well, that was a little awkward._ Two steps and the phone vibrated, they looked at it:

*OMG I DID IT!

claws haven't shook like that since undyne called me to ask about the weather... v. v

 _Okay then, but why was she nervous calling me? Does she really not like talking on the phone that much?_ The child wondered before traversing the lasers without any trouble. Rather, the first two... then the phone vibrated:

*WAIT THERE'S NO WEATHER DOWN HERE WHY DID SHE CALL ME

The child giggled at this and moved through the rest of the lasers and hit a switch at the end of them, turning them off. Although they weren't sure if that would be helpful later or not. The child wasn't surprised when the phone vibrated again in the next room:

*Oh My God i Forgot to Tell THem Where to Go

Well that wasn't a problem, the only way to go at the moment was forward. The phone vibrated again.

*CUte PIC OF ME RIGHT NOW ^. ^

It was a picture of what appeared to be a garbage can with glittery flowers on it. _What?_ _How is this a picture of her?_ Just before they got to the next puzzle the phone rang.

"A-a-alphys here! Th... The northern door will stay locked until you... s-solve the puzzles to the right and left! I... I think you sh-should g-g-go to the right first!" Click. Well, alright then, there was no reason to not trust her so the child made their way to the right but the puzzle proved too easy; however the puzzle on the left had a laser blocking the way... a blue laser. Great, how were they supposed to get past it? The phone rang.

"Alphys here! Th-that blue laser seems totally impassible! B-b-but! As the Royal Scientist I have some tricks up my sleeve!" Tricks?

"I'll h-hack into th-the Hotland laser database and take it out!" Click. The laser deactivated, how had she... oh right, the cameras everywhere. Not that the child had seen any on their way through but no doubt there had to be some around for Alphys to know about the laser. The second puzzle proved to be harder, but the child had no trouble beating it after a couple of tries. It wasn't hard really, though the room after that one was easy, no puzzle but the next room was pitch black. The phone rang, the child answered it immediately; maybe Alphys could help.

"H-hey, it's kind of dark in there, isn't it? Don't worry! I'll hack into the light system and brighten it up!" The lights snapped on and revealed what looked like a kitchen with an island counter.

"Oh no." Mettaton stood up

"OHHHH YES! WELCOME, BEAUTIES, TO THE UNDERGROUND'S PREMIERE COOKING SHOW! PRE-HEAT YOUR OVENS, BECAUSE WE'VE GOT A VERY SPECIAL RECIPE FOR YOU TODAY! WE'RE GOING TO BE MAKING ... A CAKE!" Well that seemed normal.

"MY LOVELY ASSISTANT HERE WILL GATHER THE INGREDIENTS. EVERYONE GIVE THEM A BIG HAND!" The robot clapped along with an audio audience and confetti fell from the ceiling. What was it with this robot and confetti?

"WE'LL NEED SUGAR, MILK AND EGGS. GO FOR IT SWEETHEART!" Sweetheart? Well, alright. The child looked at the counter behind them and saw everything that was needed; they gathered it up and brought it over to the counter island where the robot was.

"PERFECT! GREAT JOB, BEAUTIFUL! WE'VE GOT ALL THE INGREDIENTS WE NEED TO BAKE A CAKE!" This wasn't so bad... what could possibly go wrong with baking a cake?

"MILK... SUGAR... EGGS... OH MY! WHAT A MAGNIFICENT MOMENT! HOW COULD I FORGET! WE'RE MISSING THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT!" _We are?_ The robot lifted a chainsaw.

"A HUMAN SOUL!" _Oh crap!_ The robot advanced towards the child who took several steps back but there was no where to go. Suddenly the phone rang, but it wasn't the one the child had; Mettaton stopped.

"HELLO... I'M KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING HERE."

"W-wait a second!" It was Alphys.

"Couldn't you make a... Couldn't you use a... Couldn't you use a substitution in the recipe?!"

"... A SUBSTITUTION? YOU MEAN, USE A DIFFERENT, NON-HUMAN INGREDIENT? ... WHY?"

"Uhh, what if someone's... vegan?"

"... VEGAN."

"Uhh, well I mean-"

"THAT'S A BRILLIANT IDEA, ALPHYS!" Mettaton put the chainsaw away.

"ACTUALLY, I HAPPEN TO HAVE AN OPTION RIGHT HERE! MT-BRAND ALWAYS-CONVENIENT HUMAN-SOUL-FLAVOR-SUBSTITUTE! A CAN OF WHICH... IS JUST OVER ON THAT COUNTER!" There was a counter further down, half way to a hall that lead out of the kitchen and it had a can sitting on it.

"WELL, DARLING? WHY DON'T YOU GO GET IT?" That seemed simple enough. The child went over to the counter, but just as soon as they got over to it the counter went down slightly and then shot up. Mettaton came over as the counter was still going up.

"BY THE WAY, OUR SHOW RUNS ON A STRICT SCHEDULE. IF YOU CAN'T GET THE CAN IN THE NEXT ONE MINUTE... WE'LL JUST HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL PLAN!" The child gulped, the counter had finally stopped going up.

"SO... BETTER START CLIMBING BEAUTIFUL!" Mettaton then rocketed up. The child wondered if they could actually manage that... the phone rang and they answered it.

"Oh no! There's not enough time to climb up! ... F-f-fortunately, I might have a plan! When I was upgrading your phone, I added a few... features. You see that huge button that says "JETPACK" ?" The child moved the phone from their ear to look at it, sure enough there was a button there.

"Watch this!" The child pressed the button and the phone rose up and then suddenly transformed into a miniature jetpack that the child slipped into it.

"There! You should have enough fuel to reach the top! Now, get up there!" The child nodded and up they went! Mettaton, of course, provided an obstacle course of food... but the child was determined to get to that can! Dodging left and right, they made it to the top.

"MY MY." Mettaton said once the child reached the top.

"IT SEEMS YOU'VE BESTED ME. BUT ONLY BECAUSE YOU HAD THE HELP OF THE BRILLIANT DOCTOR ALPHYS! OH, I LOATHE TO THINK WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED

TO YOU WITHOUT HER!" Wait... what? What sort of killer robot cared what happened?

"WELL, TODDLES!" Mettaton moved away only to float back.

"OH YES! ABOUT THE SUBSTITUTION... HAVEN'T YOU EVER SEEN A COOKING SHOW BEFORE? I ALREADY BAKED THE CAKE AHEAD OF TIME! SO FORGET IT!" Well, that was a waste of time then wasn't it? What was the point of going after that can if there had already been a cake baked before the show? The child landed back down gently, shaking their head; that was one strange robot. The phone rang.

"Wow... we... we did it! We... we really did it! Great job out there, team!" Team? They were a team now? Well, they were friends weren't they?

"W-well, uh, anyway, let's keep heading forward!" Click. No point in going back, onwards it was; though would Mettaton show up again? Why was there a random kitchen in the middle of a place like Hotlands? Did Mettaton do a lot of cooking shows in their spare time maybe? The next room had a "save point" and a view of something that seemed surrounded by lava. After touching the glistening point the child moved on to look at the strange structure and the phone rang.

"S-see that building in the distance?" That was a building?

"That's the Core. The source of all power for the Underground."

"Wow..."

"It converts geothermal energy into magical electricity by..." The child had no idea what that meant really or how that was possible.

"Uh, anyway, that's where we're going to go." That was where the entrance to the castle was? That seemed just a little odd, but at the same time made some sense, after all weren't there stories often about castles surrounded by either a moat of water or lava? Although usually most castles with lava around them were those of villains... the child frowned in thought... wondering why that was.

"In the Core is an elevator directly to Asgore's castle. And from there... You can go home." Click. _Home... finally._ The child had no idea how long they'd been down here, but they were determined to get home. It had been a long journey. Thinking on it, the child felt tired and a little hungry so they sat down and ate one of the nice cream bars they had bought; oddly enough it hadn't melted in their pocket and the treat was still nice and cool... Full from the treat the child lay down next to the glittering point and went to sleep. They'd come such a long way since starting out from Snowdin. _I wonder how Sans is fairing... and Toriel... Undyne and Pap-_ That was the last thing that came to mind as the child drifted off to sleep.


	11. 10: Hotland

The child sat next to the glittering "star" looking over at the core; their destination. So close and yet so far. They brushed some dust from their shirt; it had taken a good deal to hunt down all sixteen of the monsters that were hiding in this area. _Cowards, the lot of them._ There was no one around though and touching the "save point" had verified what they had hoped. There were no more monsters in this area. Why had that taken forever? _They're worse than the humans above, honestly..._ They shook their head with a chuckle. Every moment was just bringing them closer and closer to the surface and their goal. Those poor idiotic, cowardly souls... they didn't realize what their deaths really meant. A soft chuckle escaped the child.

"The fools never realized the point of their existence was to die..." A smirk tugged at the thin lips.

"Are you watching Flowey? Have you been keeping tabs on me this entire time like that foolish coward, Alphys?" No response. Not that they expected one. It had been easy to figure out that the flower had indeed been following them when they'd backtracked through Waterfall and noticed that one of the echo flowers had been tampered with. The reason for backtracking, of course, was because they'd needed some more things from Snowdin after dealing the final blow to the self-important Undyne who had thought that she could destroy them. What a joke! Then there was that stupid robot in the lab. It had certainly spoken its mind about what it thought about them. What did a machine know? Just one more obstacle. The child downed the pie without too much thought. They needed to keep up their strength after all and this was taking a lot longer than they really liked; although chasing the monsters down was part of the fun there was still the hassle of tracking them. Seeing the fear in their eyes when they realized that they were no match for the human child that stood in front of them. Worth it. They brushed off their hands on their shorts and stood up with a smile. Time to move on. The good part about all the monsters being so scared was that none of the puzzles that were about needed doing. They were all deactivated or completed. Getting through the Hotlands had been a snap really, though the only thing they'd found lying around had been a frying pan but that was a fairly poor weapon really... but it was stronger than that stupid toy knife they'd first picked up. So they'd tossed the knife in the lava and picked up the frying pan. Hopefully the next areas to come would have a better weapon. Why was this area so big? The child passed a station, probably one of Sans' stations around the place but he wasn't there. The child wondered about that but shrugged it off. Who cared? That bonehead was too lazy to do anything productive, probably was just now finding out that the pile of dust in Snowdin was his beloved brother. What a joke that one had been! The worst person becoming good... what sort of idiot did anyone have to be to believe THAT sort of crock? The child passed two more completed puzzles before coming face to face with two Royal Guards... were they serious? With a smirk they held up the frying pan as the familiar tug of a Fight grabbed their soul. It didn't take long.

"Ugh, that almost wasn't worth the time." They grumbled as they passed the two lumps of dust that covered the twin piles of metal. The armor had made it slightly difficult but it hadn't protected the two monsters as much as they might have wished. Who wore armor like that anyway? This wasn't the medieval period.

"Not so advanced as I thought." They grunted and moved on.

The child bolted up, panting. Another one. When would these nightmares end? Why was it that they were being plagued by these? Heart beating fast, for a moment they wished Sans was nearby... he understood. He had those nightmares too after all... wincing at the thought they got to their feet and continued on; their head and heart pounding painfully. An elevator. Well, this should be simple enough. The only other switch led to a second floor. They pressed it and waited as the doors closed and then the elevator moved, when they came out they saw a little flame-like monster nearby. They were the smallest monster that the child had ever seen since coming to the Underground.

"Heh. I'm Heats Flameman! Remember my name."

"I will." The child said, how could they not? It was such a pun on the little monster; thinking that reminded them of Sans and their headache seemed to eased, but not the heartache. Sans... why had they first thought of Sans? Oh, right... the nightmare. They moved to the next room, eyes widening when they took in the next room. There were two monsters, one the child had never seen before, some sort of bird that was holding a hot dog was to their right and to the left was a Vulkin. What had caught their attention though was the scout station where sat the very skeleton they had just been thinking about. They ran forward, tears welling in their eyes.

"Yo kid! Wha-" He stopped as the child flung themselves against him, burying their head against his jacket.

"Whoa... kiddo... hey, hey... what's wrong?" He put his arms around the child as they shook, sobbing. He glanced over at the other two monsters who made themselves scarce at the look while he rubbed the human's back.

"Hey now... it's okay."

"I... I had another one..." They choked out after a moment.

"Another nightmare?" The child nodded, shaking even as the tears continued though the sobs had subsided. Sans was silent for a moment.

"Look, kiddo. I know you wouldn't hurt anyone; I dunno what these nightmares are all about really, but you shouldn't let 'em get to ya. They're just dreams after all."

"I... I'm sorry."

"Eh? What for?" The child wiped away their tears.

"I guess I'm a bit of a crybaby... I..."

"Listen here kid, no putting yourself down like that. We all got things we got to deal with that can make us sad like that. That don't make you a crybaby or weak or anything."

"Sans?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

"Heh... I should be the one thanking you." The child looked at him, confused.

"You were nice to my brother when you didn't have to be. You befriended him and gave him confidence in himself. You helped cheer him up. If ya haven't noticed... there's not much to be cheerful about around here."

"Why would you say that?"

"It's true." The child shook their head.

"I don't get you kid. Why would anyone have a reason to be cheerful around here?"

"You have family that really cares about you." Papyrus came to mind, then Undyne.

"Friends who would do anything to see that everyone's dreams come true..." The next that came to mind was the scene at Grillby's.

"Others who care enough to know your name even if they don't know everything about you. Who are friends, if from a distance. Who care to the point that when you walk in the room they light up like a bulb."

"Kid..." He stared at them, eye sockets wide that they had noticed all of this, but they weren't done and they'd stopped crying.

"You don't have to worry about whether or not someone will turn and stab you in the back, literally or otherwise, just because they can... or that they got to know you just because they want something from you rather than because they wanted to know the real you. You don't have to worry about feeling pain because someone derives some pleasure in seeing your tears.

"... I..." Who WAS this kid to know all this? What had this child been through for them to even consider this sort of thing at such a young age? Sans ran his thumb against the child's cheek... how had he not seen it before? The yearning for just a bit of kindness? True kindness? His other hand clenched.

"I don't know what reason you had... for coming here... and... you don't have to tell me, but I want you to know something. It won't ever happen again. No one is ever going to hurt you again." The child smiled and the look in their eyes almost made the skeleton break down and weep himself. He hugged the child close.

"You'll be alright kiddo, just remember to stay determined alright?" The child nodded.

"Say, would you like a hot dog? On the house." They nodded again with a smile and he made them a hot dog. They ate it happily, before going on they bought some more from Sans to eat later; at some point though Sans had run out of hot dogs and had sold them hot cats... though what the difference was exactly the child didn't know other than that instead of the face of a dog it had the face of a cat. The child was just grateful and had tucked them all into their later; they knew they'd keep; how this worked the child didn't know but it did. At some point they asked for another but there was no more room in their inventory.

"You're holding too much... guess I'll just put it on your head." Sans placed the hot dog on the child's head. The child giggled and asked for another...

"It's on the house. Well, no, it's on you." The child tried not to laugh too much lease the hot dogs fall and asked for yet another.

"Here, have fun." And another ... and another... This was utterly ridiculous and they were having fun! Who knew staking hot dogs on your head could be so much fun and amusing? Sans humored the child, glad that they seemed to be in a better mood now; seeing them burst into tears like that had really worried him. After a moment though, as he sat on the roof placing what had to be the twenty-ninth hot dog on the kid's head he looked down when they asked for another.

"I'll be 'frank' with you."

"Nice to meet you Frank." Sans laughed a little, that was good. He went on despite it.

"As much as I like putting hot dogs on your head... thirty is just an excessive number." Well, that meant the end of that then didn't it?

"Twenty-nine, now that's fine, but thirty... does it look like my arms reach that high?"

"No, but you haven't been using your arms this whole time."

"Got me there kid." The child smiled but didn't ask again for another.

"Been fun, I'll see you around Sans." The child said even as the tower of hot dogs tumbled from their head. They head off but paused after a moment to glance over their shoulder.

"Something up kiddo?" The child smiled.

"Thanks for everything." Before he could answer they walked off, humming happily. Sans watched the kid go, how was it that he'd come to be worried about a human like that so quickly? After all this time, how had they managed to get him to care? They hadn't gone far before their phone vibrated with another update from Alphys:

*dinner with the girlfriend ;)

It was a picture of a catgirl figurine next to a bowl of instant noodles. The child continued on, shaking their head a little; Alphys sure liked posting updates. The next room had a conveyer belt and the phone rang; they answered it.

"H...hi! It's Doctor Alphys! This puzzle is kinda ... umm, timing-based. Y-you see those switches over there?" Sure enough, along the conveyer belt there were three pillars with switches on each of them.

"Y-you'll have to press all three of them within three seconds." Well, that explained the conveyor belt then didn't it?

"I'll t-try to help you with the rhythm!" Click. Well, it didn't look too difficult. Still, maybe they should calm themselves first, they went back the way they'd come and went down a second path they'd noticed earlier. There wasn't anything there but an apron. It didn't really interest them much though. They had the Temmie Armor, what would they need an apron for? While there, someone tried sending them a friend request, Napstablook22. Was that Napstablook? Well of course they'd accept! Sadly though the request seemed to have rejected itself before they could accept though. The child headed back to the other room; on their way they received an update, though not from Alphys this time. Someone by the name of CoolSkeleton95 posted a picture along with a comment:

*ARE WE POSTING "HOT" PICS?" HERE IS ME AND MY COOL FRIEND

The child nearly fell over laughing, it was a picture of Papyrus flexing in front of a mirror and wearing sunglasses with giant muscular biceps pasted onto his arms. Even more crazy was that the "biceps" were wearing sunglasses too! So THAT was who that had to be... only Papyrus would post something like that! In high spirits from that, the child went on and wasn't too surprised to see Alphys post a response:

*LOL, CoolSkeleton95! ... that's a joke, right?

Several steps later came the response:

THE ONLY JOKE HERE, IS HOW STRONG MY MUSCLES ARE.

They weren't sure if he was seriously offended or what, hopefully Alphys wouldn't take that the wrong way; she seemed unsure enough of herself as it was. The child continued to the room with the switches and, taking a deep breath, they stepped onto the edge of it as close to the switch as they dared and smacked the first, then the second, but missed the third. _Crap!_ It was just as they missed that the phone rang and they picked it up as the belt moved them off to the end.

"OK! Now press the third one!"

"Too late..." There was a moment of silence on the line as the child turned towards the electric like laser bolt that blocked the way. It faded away. What?

"H-h-hey! Looks like you... only needed to press two of them!"

"Looks like." Though what was with that weird pause? Was it just because she was watching or...? Click. Well, the chance to ask was gone. The child moved on to the next room where there looked to be an arrow puzzle around steam vents of some sort. The phone vibrated, it was another update from Alphys:

*that's the last time i try to help with a puzzle lmao

There were those letters again... what did they mean? The child made a mental note to ask Sans or someone else some time. Maybe Papyrus or Undyne knew. Well, this puzzle looked to be harder than most, especially when they hopped over to the first and noticed that the floor switch changed the direction of one of the arrows on that platform. Yes, that would definitely make it harder... The child spent several minutes hopping about from platform to platform before finally managing to solve it and get the steam to hurl them over to the other end of the room. When they got to the other room the phone vibrated with an update from Alphys:

*OMG? ppl think Mew Mew 2 is better than Mew Mew 1? LOLLLLLLL that's a joke, right...

The child wasn't sure, after all they'd never seen either one; there, shining next to a mouse hole and a microwave was a "save point." The child touched the little glistening star thing. A few steps later and the phone vibrated again:

*omg... DONT THEY GET IT RUINS Mew Mew's ENTIRE CHARACTER ARK

Boy, Alphys really felt strongly about this didn't she? _What sort of show is this that she cares so much about something like that? I mean, it's not like it's real; it's just a show._ The phone vibrated again:

My Mew Mew 2 Review:

Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 2 Is Neither Kissy Nor Cutie. Its Trash. 0 stars

No question about it, Alphys really felt strongly about this thing; well, that didn't matter too much to them as they continued to the next room. They made it near the corner and almost to the other side of the room before a voice called out.

"Hey! You! Stop!" The child stopped and turned to see two guards in armor heading towards them; it was the two guards they'd seen earlier that had been blocking the path near Alphys' lab. They were walking towards the child; what did they want... what exactly were they? It was hard to tell with the armor but one for sure looked like it might be a rabbit with those large ears on the helmet. The other... it was tough to say though the helmet was rather long... maybe they were some sort of reptile? The one that had spoken before went on.

"We've, like, recieved an anonymous tip about a human wearing a striped shirt. They told us they were wandering around Hotland right now..."

"Ummm..."

"I know, sounds scary right?" _Not really..._

"Well, just stay chill. We'll bring you someplace safe, OK?" Well, there was no arguing with these two so the child followed the two as they turned and started off. _How long is it going to take them? 1... 2... 3... 4..._ As they got to four the one with the larger helmet had stopped.

"Huh? What is it bro?" The other spoke quietly, too quietly for the child to hear.

"The shirt they're wearing? Like... what about it?" It became clear the one that was speaking was the rabbit-like guard. The two looked at the child before the rabbit guard looked at his companion.

"Bro... Are you thinkin'... what I'm thinkin'?" The other made an affirmation sound.

"Bummer. This is, like... mega embarrassing." The child tried not to laugh, but this was amusing nonetheless. The rabbit guard turned to the child.

"We, like, actually totally have to kill you and stuff." The familiar tug let the child know a Fight was about to start as their soul appeared. The two had drawn their swords. The child stared at the two, trying to think of what to do; deciding that the rabbit-like guard was number one and the other was number two... with this in mind they thought a moment about what sort of action to take. The two attacked at the same time, making it difficult to dodge all their swings, but it wasn't too difficult as they danced and ducked away from the blades. The child noticed that the second guard's armor was dirty... would they maybe like it better if the armor was clean? So the child began clearing away the dirt from the armor. The guard began to heat up as the child cleaned their armor, ducking away from the twin attacks of the guard.

"Can't... take it... armor too... HOT!" The guard removed it, the child then noticed that the other guard seemed to start sweating... were they hot too or... no, the first guard seemed like something was bothering them. Taking a gamble, the child sided up to the first guard and whispered for them to be honest with their feelings.

"Dude... I... I can't take this anymore! Not like this! Like... two! I like... I like, LIKE you bro!" So the child's hunch was correct, the first had been keeping this a secret.

"The way you fight... the way you talk... I love doing team attacks with you. I love standing here with you, bouncing and waving our weapons in sync... Two... I, like, want to stay like this forever..." Two didn't say anything to that.

"Uh... I mean, uh... Whew bro! That human! Put me under, uh, mind control!" Mind control? Really? That was what he was going with? As, after a moment, it dawned on the child that the two guards were indeed both male.

"What was I just saying? It's all a blur dude! Whoops!"

"... One." It was the first time the other had spoken up loud enough for the child to hear.

"Y-yeah bro?"

"... Do you want to... get some ice cream... after this?"

"Sure, dude! Haha!" The two were ignoring the child now, looking happily at one another, the child smiled and spared the two. Walking off from the happy pair, shaking away the question of how that hadn't happened before them. Well, it didn't matter. They got several steps from where the Fight had taken place only for the phone to vibrate:

*oopswait how's the humnan doing

The child chuckled and continued on only to notice the phone vibrate again:

Top Ten Shows That Make You Forget To Do Your Frickin Job

They chuckled again and went on to the next room, shaking their head a little; glad that they didn't really have to worry about things like that. The next room they arrived in was near pitch black, but that didn't stop them, they continued forward.


	12. 11: Reports and Teatime With Ms Muffet

The phone rang, the child picked it up as usual; as expected, it was Alphys.

"A-another dark room huh? Don't worry! M-my hacking skills have got things covered! The lights went on and the child found themselves not only in a room full of things but also on TV!

"Are you serious?!" Alphys said upon seeing this, unable to see more than what was on the TV that was blocking one of her cameras that showed a camera zoomed in on the child while Mettaton looked exactly like a reporter.

"OHHHHHH YESSS! GOOD EVENING BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES! THIS IS METTATON, REPORTING LIVE FROM MTT NEWS!" The child nearly groaned, they could hear the broadcast even if they could see it. Now what was that robot up to?

"AN INTERESTING SITUATION HAS DEVELOPED IN HOTLAND! FORTUNATELY, OUR CORRESPONDENT IS OUT THERE, REPORTING LIVE!" _Guess he means me... wonder what he expects me to find..._

"BRAVE CORRESPONDENT! PLEASE FIND SOMETHING NEWSWORTHY TO REPORT! OUR TEN WONDERFUL VIEWERS ARE WAITING FOR YOU!" The child walked about, there was a basketball, a glass of water, a dog, a movie script, a gift box, and a video game. The child decided to choose the dog.

"ATTENTION, VIEWERS! OUR CORRESPONDENT HAS FOUND... A DOG! THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS! CUE THE FEEL-GOOD STORY OF THE YEAR! LOOK AT IT'S LITTLE EARS, TINY PAWS, FLUFFY TAIL... WAIT A SECOND. THAT'S NOT A TAIL! THATS! A FUSE!" A fuse?! _That can't be good..._

"THAT'S RIGHT... THAT DOG... IS A BOMB!" Looking at it, the child noticed that it was indeed a bomb, and its fuse was now lit. _Oh crap..._

"BUT DON'T PANIC! YOU HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN THE REST OF THE ROOM YET!" The "screen" behind Mettaton fell away with the "background to reveal the whole room.

"OH MY! IT SEEMS EVERYTHING IN THIS ROOM IS ACTUALLY A BOMB! THAT PRESENT'S A BOMB! THAT BASKETBALL'S A BOMB! EVEN MY WORDS ARE...!" The words he'd just said crashed down from the ceiling suddenly and exploded harmlessly around.

"BRAVE CORRESPONDENT... IF YOU DON'T DEFUSE ALL OF THE BOMBS... THIS BIG BOMB WILL BLOW YOU TO SMITHEREENS IN TWO MINUTES! THEN YOU WON'T BE REPORTING "LIVE" ANY LONGER!" _Oh geez... that was a horrible pun!_ The child wondered what they could do, they didn't know how to defuse a bomb!

"HOW TERRIBLE! HOW DISTURBING! OUR NINE VIEWERS ARE GOING TO LOVE WATCHING THIS! GOOD LUCK DARLING!" The phone rang almost immediately, the child picked the phone up; trembling.

"D-don't worry!" It was Alphys of course.

"I installed a bomb-defusing program on your phone!" The child felt relieved, they'd worry later why in the world Alphys had programed such a thing in the first place; for now, they just needed to use it on each of the objects. The first being the dog of course.

"Use the 'defuse' option when the bomb is in the Defuse Zone! N-now, go get 'em!" The child set about defusing all the bombs with Alphys cheering them on over the phone, starting with the dog shaped one. It wasn't easy as some of the objects had moved about the room and the child had to overcome a few obstacles to ensure that all of the bombs were defused in time. Once the last one was taken care of, Mettaton flew over to the child.

"WELL DONE, DARLING! YOU'VE DEACTIVATED ALL THE BOMBS! IF YOU DIDN'T DEACTIVATE THEM, THE BIG BOMB WOULD HAVE GONE OFF IN TWO MINUTES." Why was he saying this again? The child had a bad feeling about this as the robot went on.

"NOW IT WON'T EXPLODE IN TWO MINUTES! INSTEAD IT WILL EXPLODE IN TWO SECONDS! GOODBYE DARLING!" _Crap!_ There was no time! Several seconds passed, the child tensed, waiting for the explosion... but nothing seemed to happen. After a moment they began to slowly relax and looked at Mettaton who was still floating nearby.

"AH. IT SEEMS THE BOMB ISN'T GOING OFF." The phone rang, but it wasn't the child's phone but the one that Mettaton had.

"T-that's because... while you were monologuing ... I... I f... fix... Um... I ch-changed-"

"OH NO. YOU DEACTIVATED THE BOMB WITH YOUR HACKING SKILLS."

"Yeah! That's what I did!" Why did she seem uncertain about all this when she was confident moments before? The child thought this over a moment before shoving the thought away.

"CURSES! I'VE BEEN FOILED AGAIN! CURSE YOU, HUMAN! CURSE YOU, DOCTOR ALPHYS, FOR HELPING SO MUCH! BUT I DON'T CURSE MY EIGHT WONDERFUL VIEWERS FOR TUNING IN!" Eight? Hadn't it been ten earlier? What happened to the other two? How did this robot even know HOW many were watching?

"UNTIL NEXT TIME, DARLING!" Mettaton flew off.

"W-wow... w-we really showed him, huh? ... H-hey, I know I was kind of weird at first... but I really think I'm getting more... Uh, more... M-more confident about guiding you!" _That's a relief._

"Good to hear."

"S-so don't worry about that b-big d-dumb robot... I-I'll protect you from him! A-and if it really c-came down to it, we could just t-turn... Um, nevermind. Later!" Could just what? Had she been about to say just "turn him off" ? Click. The child didn't have the chance to ask.

"Hmmm..." Something didn't feel right. The child pushed it away; if they were in any real danger they didn't need to fear anything; Sans had said he'd protect them. Even if they hadn't seen him in a while they believed that he would keep his word. _As long as he's around, what do I have to fear?_ Humming happily to themselves, the child continued on from the area without a care in the world though they fell silent in the next room. They could see the core in the next room. It didn't seem any closer... were they really getting closer to it? Shaking the thought away they continued on until their phone rang.

"Um... I noticed you've been kind of quiet..." It was Alphys of course.

"Are you w-worried about meeting Asgore...? Well, don't worry, okay? Th-the king is a really nice guy... I'm sure you can talk to him, and... W-with your human soul, you can pass through the barrier! S-so no worrying, OK? J-just forget about it and smile." Click.

"Forget about it? But... now that you mention it... what will happen to everyone when I leave? Sans... Papyrus... Toriel... Undyne... Alphys... Grillsby... all the monsters in Snowdin... in Waterfall... here in Hotland... and those I have yet to meet...?" The child murmured, as if conversing with Alphys still, or someone else... as they continued on. As they moved forward again a slight smile touched their lips, as if they had received an answer from the silence around them as they moved to the elevator that led to the next part of Hotland. Third floor... this really was it; with each step they were getting closer. The third floor seemed so high up that it sat above not just the second floor but way out of the reach of the lava. Noting this, the child stayed as far from the edges as they could as they continued forward; not knowing what would await them. The next area beyond the elevator a spider lady sat behind a table with goods for sale. Curious, the child went over to her.

"Welcome to our parlor dearie. Interested in some spider pastries? All proceeds go to real spiders!" Why did this sound familiar... oh right! The spider cider they'd gotten from the Ruins! Well, it couldn't hurt to help them out more could it? The child moved over to the webs only to blanch a little... 9,999 for a donut or cider?! They looked at their gold... they didn't have NEAR that much... well... it couldn't be helped could it? The child vaguely remembered putting it in one of the dimensional boxes before buying hot dogs off Sans earlier. So, with some reluctance, the child continued onto the next area only to find another puzzle and the phone rang.

"Hi, Alphys here! This room is like the room we saw before; there are two puzzles to the north and south... You'll have to solve them both to proceed! ... A-also I'd like to say I don't really... like giving away puzzle solutions. But if you need help, just call me ok? Actually, wait, I have an idea! Let's be friends on UnderNet! Then you can just ping me when you need help!" Ping? Like those updates from earlier?

"... Wait, we're already friends, aren't we?"

"Yeah."

"I signed you up, didn't I?"

"Yup."

"You've been reading my posts the whole time..."

"Uh huh."

"Well! I hope you agree with me! About Mew Mew 2!" Click.

"Actually I've never seen it." The child mumbled and shrugged before hopping on the arrows to get to the puzzles and solving each of them; though they were the same as before but more difficult than the first two had been. It took longer to figure out the puzzles on this level than the ones before even if the objective was the same. By they reached the second puzzle Alphys had called again.

"Hey! This um, doesn't have anything to do with guiding you... but... Uhh, hey, would you want to watch a human TV show together? Sometime? It's called um... M... Mew Mew Kissy Cutie..."

"Sure!" Why not? Maybe watching it would help them understand why she felt so strongly about it and the sequel.

"R-really?! It's so good! It's, um, my favorite show!" _Yeah... kind of figured that one out..._

"It's all about this human girl named Mew Mew who has cat ears! Which humans don't have! S-so she's sensitive about them!" Yeah, most normal humans didn't have cat ears.

"But like... Eventually she realizes that her ears don't matter!" Alphys started talking a little faster.

"That her friends like her despite the ears! It's really moving! Whoops, spoilers! Also this sounds weird but she has the power to control the minds of anyone she kisses!" Okay that was indeed weird, but also it made the show sound interesting too.

"She kisses people and controls them to fix her problems! They don't remember anything after the kiss I mean! BUT IF SHE MISSES THE KISS THEN! Then, uh, and, uh, also I mean... Of course eventually she realizes that controlling people- OKAY WELL I almost spoiled the whole show, but uhhhh-" Boy, she really did like this show.

"I think you'd really like it! We should watch it! After you get through with all this!"

"I'd like that." Click. Well that was sudden, oh well; that at least gave them something to look forward to besides just getting out and there was still a puzzle to do... The child completed the puzzle and then headed back to the room with the arrows and steam to head to the right where the now-unlocked door awaited them. The next room was full of cobwebs and smelled of it too, it wasn't all that pleasant really, but there was a "save point" up ahead and the child went over to it. Something told them to take the spider cider they'd purchased days ago out of their box; they put a hot dog in the box instead. Taking a deep breath, the child moved forward towards a door, which led to a room with floor that looked to be covered in webbing. Spiders hung above from the ceiling. The first one pulled itself up, laughing, as they got close to it. A voice rang out though it was hard to see who was speaking..

"Did you hear what they just said?" The second spider moved much like the first, and the voice seemed to continue on.

"They said that a human wearing a striped shirt will come through." A third spider went up.

"I heard they hate spiders." Another spider... was that the fourth? The child had stopped counting as now they found themselves walking on what was more webbing than an actual floor and it was making walking rather difficult really.

"I heard they love to stomp on them." _Who's been saying these awful things?_ The child wondered as they continued ahead, no longer paying attention to the spiders on the ceiling.

"I heard that they like to tear their legs off." The child reached the middle and struggled even more, why was this so sticky?! Suddenly they had the feeling of not being alone and looked over, sure enough, on a large web was the same spider they remembered seeing selling spider treats. How had she gotten here so fast? Well, that didn't matter.

"I heard... that they're awfully stingy with their money." Glancing around the child began to realize they weren't only half stuck in this webbing but now they were surrounded by spiders! The largest of them laughed.

"You think that your tastes are too refined for our pastries, don't you, deary?" The child shook their head, but apparently this spider didn't believe them. Instead she merely chuckled.

"I disagree with that notion. I think your taste...is exactly what this next batch needs!" The child's eyes widened even as they felt the familiar tug that drew them into a Fight. This was obviously not going to be an easy fight, being half stuck to the floor! The child struggled, freeing themselves just a little bit from the sticky web, but this wasn't easy.

"Don't look so blue, my deary." Suddenly a purple tea was poured over the area and over the child, their soul suddenly turned from red to purple! The webs were no longer holding them down, but there were still the spiders blocking the way and now the web was purple too!

"... I think purple is a better look on you!" She laughed, sending her spiders to attack along the web, the child hopped about on the the three strands, dodging the spiders as they scurried about. It wasn't easy, and there were even pastries flying about!

"Oh, how rude of me! I almost forgot to introduce you to my pet!" Pet?!

"It's breakfast time isn't it?" What did breakfast have to do with anything?

"Have fun you two." The child dodged several spiders but it was tougher with the web suddenly shaking. What the heck? Their eyes widened when a roar echoed and they saw the "pet" was a giant muffin spider! It crawled slowly up the web. The child scrambled higher along the purple webs nearby to keep out of reach of the thing, but they also had to dodge normal spiders at the same time! This was really hard! The thing was massive! Then after a moment it climbed down and the child realized that the thing was resting while the normal spiders skittered about the web to try and hit them or knock them off the web. Hurting, the child whipped out the spider cider and drank it. It had a bit of a funny taste to it but their wounds healed and they dropped the jar when they heard the spider almost shriek in anger.

"Where did you get that? Thief! We'll show you what we do to thieves!"

"I didn't steal it!" The child said, but that didn't seem to persuade her as more spiders flooded the web. When they were gone, she paused as a spider came up to her with a note.

"Huh? A telegram from the spiders in the Ruins?" She listened to the spider who read it to her.

"What? They're saying they saw you and... you helped donate to their cause! Oh my, this has all been a bit misunderstanding. I thought you were someone who hated spiders. The person who asked for that soul... They must have meant a DIFFERENT human in a striped shirt. Sorry for all the trouble. Ahuhuhu! I'll make it up to you. You can come back here any time... and for no charge at all... I'll wrap you up and let you play with my pet again!" The child stared as she laughed.

"Just kidding! I'll spare you now." The Fight ended then and she giggled.

"That was fun!" She said as the spiders scrambled out of the way now.

"See you again dearie!" She giggled and disappeared into the darkness along with the last spider. Now the child found that they could leave the web had **not** been their idea of fun... but it could have gone worse. They moved through the door ahead of them, when they emerged they saw that there was a poster of some sort. Was there a production going on?


	13. 12: Stage Performance and A Promise

Purple... the walls, ceiling and floor were still the same purple from Ms. Muffet's room, which, the child had noted, was the name of the spider monster in the previous room. The child stopped in front of the poster to examine it better, it was obviously of Mettaton's latest performance; something about star-crossed lovers kept apart by fate... Whatever that meant. The child looked further down the poster, it seemed that the performance was about to start. Well... okay then, what did that mean? Was Mettaton going to put on a show? The child moved on, the purple floor gave way to blue and they saw a city scape background on the wall and what looked like some sort of tower ahead... _That can't be good..._ The child moved forward, the moment they hit the center of the room though they heard a familiar voice.

"OH, THAT HUMAN..." They looked up to see a fake moon and stars hung above and near a "window," peeking out, was Mettaton.

"COULD IT BE...? MY ONE TRUE LOVE? " True love? What was this robot talking about? The robot held the edge of the skirt and wheeled down to the floor level while the child watched the whole time; okay, what was the catch this time? Mettaton approached, singing out the whole while as if on... stage... and was that _music_ playing in the background... oh boy.

"Oh my love please run away..." The child tried, but was blocked at both ends by a laser bolt running across what was clearly a stage of some sort. Mettaton continued as if they were standing in one spot.

"Monster King forbids your stay. Humans must live far apart... even if it breaks my heart." Well, nothing to do but stand still and wait to see what Mettaton's plan was this time.

"They'll put you in the dungeon; it'll suck and then you'll die a lot... Really sad... You're gonna die. Cry cry cry... So sad it's happening." The music stopped then. Now what?

"SO SAD. SO SAD THAT YOU ARE GOING TO THE DUNGEON. WELL, TOODLES!" The robot pulled out what looked like a remote and hit a button, the floor gave way then and the child fell down. They landed on a platform with a conveyer belt; Mettaton hovered above, having followed.

"OH NO! WHATEVER SHALL I DO? MY LOVE HAS BEEN CAST AWAY INTO THE DUNGEON. A DUNGEON WITH A PUZZLE SO DASTARDLY, MY PARAMOUR WILL SURELY PERISH!" _Paramour? Wha?_ This was getting more and more ridiculous by the minute. Ahead, past the conveyor belt, was the familiar looking tile puzzle the child remembered that Papyrus had once said that Alphys had made... Wait... had she made THIS one too? Then... things were starting to click...

"O, HEAVENS HAVE MERCY! THE HORRIBLE COLORED TILE MAZE! EACH COLORED TILE HAS ITS OWN SADISTIC FUNCTION. FOR EXAMPLE, A GREEN TILE SOUNDS A NOISE, AND THEN YOU MUST FIGHT A MONSTER. RED TILES WILL... ACTUALLY, WAIT A SECOND. DIDN'T WE SEE THIS PUZZLE A HUNDRED ROOMS AGO?" How could Mettaton know that?

"THAT'S RIGHT. YOU REMEMBER ALL THE RULES, DON'T YOU?"

"Not real-"

"GREAT... THEN I WON'T WASTE YOUR TIME REPEATING THEM!" _Great._

"OH, AND YOU'D BETTER HURRY. BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T GET THROUGH IN 30 SECONDS..." FWOOSH! The child glanced behind them, there was a row of fire that spun about in a circle around itself... not really a "fire ball" per say but there was little other way to describe the flames the child was now gaping at.

"YOU'LL BE INCINERATED BY THESE JETS OF FIRE!" Okay, yeah... jets of fire was a good way to describe what they were looking at... a whole row of them! The only way was forward.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! AHAHA... HA... HA! MY POOR LOVE!" _Poor_ love _indeed..._

"I AM SO FILLED WITH GRIEF, I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING!" The child didn't buy that, they had never seen anyone so filled with grief over anything that they **laughed** about it... this was definitely unusual. Then again... this robot was programed to kill them...

"GOOD LUCK, DARLING!" The child took off, Mettaton singing the whole time.

"Oh my love has fallen down. Now in tears, we all will drown. Colored tiles make them a fool, if only they still knew the rules... Well that was a sorry try. Now let's watch them fry..." The seconds ticked down and they couldn't beat the puzzle, they just couldn't remember all the rules and this was HARD! It was long too... they'd almost beaten it but time ran out and suddenly the puzzle deactivated and Mettaton floated over them.

"OOOOH, I'M SO SORRY! LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE OUT OF TIME!" Twin sets of fire jets moved in, trapping the child who looked around... nowhere to go...

"HERE COME THE FLAMES, DARLING! THEY'RE CLOSING IN!" The flames moved closer.

"GETTING CLOSER! OH MY!" The child clenched their fists and closed their eyes as the flames seemed to be almost on top of them now. They could feel the shearing heat...

"ANY MINUTE NOW!"

"Sans... Papyrus... Undyne... Toriel... Alphys! Someone help!" The flames stopped nearby, the child heard what sounded suspiciously like a cough, suddenly the phone rang and the child heard from Mettaton's phone the familiar voice of Alphys.

"Watch out! I'll save you! I'm hacking into the fire wall right now!" Was that a pun? If the child hadn't been so scared they might have laughed. The flames disappeared and when the heat seemed to leave the child opened their eyes a little and relief seemed to fill them.

'OH NO! HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?. FOILED AGAIN BY THE BRILLIANT DOCTOR ALPHYS! INS-"

"That's right!" She cut in.

"Come on, Mettaton, give up already! You'll never be able to defeat us... Not as long as we work together! Your puzzle's over now go home and leave us alone!"

"PUZZLE? OVER? ALPHYS, DARLING, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT...? DID YOU FORGET WHAT THE GREEN TILES DO? THEY MAKE A SOUND, THEN YOU HAVE TO FIGHT A MONSTER. WELL, DARLING... THAT MONSTER... IS ME!" Mettaton floated down and a Fight started; the child wasn't surprised honestly. They yelled at the robot, but of course it did no good.

"THIS IS IT, DARLING, SAY GOODBYE!" The child wondered how they were supposed to beat Metatton this time... then the phone began to ring.

"IS THAT YOUR PHONE? YOU BETTER ANSWER IT!" The child was a little surprised the robot was allowing them to, but didn't hesitate to answer; knowing it was probably Alphys and hoping that the good doctor had some idea as to how to deal with the problematic robot.

"H-hey! Th-this seems bad, but don't worry! Th-there's one last thing I installed on your phone...! You see that yellow button...?" The child looked at the phone, yup, there was a yellow button alright. "Go to this phone's "act" menu and press it!" The child did as they were told, the phone began to resonate with Mettaton's presence... the child watched as their soul seemed to turn itself upside down and then suddenly became yellow!

"Now press "z"!" The child looked at their phone and pressed the "z" on it. Mettaton shook as their soul seemed to shoot out some sort of beam. The child continued to hit the button rapidly now as the robot shook.

"OOOH! OOOOOOOH! YOU'VE DEFEATED ME! HOW CAN THIS BE, YOU WERE STRONGER THAN I THOUGHT, ECT." Etc? Who said **that** of all things? Mettaton took off saying something... did he say "whatever?" The child wasn't sure, just glad that the robot was gone again, but they began to wonder how many times they were going to meet Mettaton. This was the third time after all. The first had been in the lab, then in a kitchen... now on what had been a stage that had - in turn - led to this "dungeon" of sorts... It was a lot like leaping from one TV show to another... or something like that. With Mettaton gone and the Fight ended, the phone rang; it was Alphys of course.

"L-looks like you beat him! Y-you did a really great job out there."

"All thanks to you."

"What? Oh no, I mean... You were the one doing everything cool! I just wrote some silly programs for your phone." _Just how did you know to write them unless you knew this would happen..._ The child didn't say this though.

"... Um, h-hey, this might sound strange, but... c-can I tell you something?"

"Of course!"

"... B-before I met you, I d-didn't really... I didn't really like myself very much." _Thought so..._

"F-for a long time I felt like a total screw-up. L-like I couldn't do anything w-without... W-without ending up letting everyone down. B-but...! Guiding you has made me feel... a lot better about myself. So... thanks for letting me help you."

"No. Thanks for helping me Alphys. I couldn't have gotten this far without your help. You aren't a screw up, sure everyone makes mistakes from time to time but that doesn't mean that things can't be fixed. LIfe is about learning to make mistakes and learn from them."

"... Uhh, anyway, we're almost to the CORE. It's just past the MTT Resort." A resort? What the heck was a hotel doing there of all places? Well, maybe it was best not to ask questions, things had, now that the child thought about it, been far from the norm since they had first fallen down here.

"Come on! Let's finish this!"

"Yes, let's." The child hung up the phone and headed on through the rest of the room, which was easier with the puzzle now deactivated. The child was a little surprised to see that just in the next room were the two guards they'd fought earlier and the Nice Cream guy they'd met in Snowdin.

They went over to the bunny-like guard first.

"Oh, hey. We're, like, taking a rain check on that killing-you thing. Like, don't tell Undyne about this, OK?" The child smiled, sure that Undyne wouldn't mind but they nodded anyway. The other guard didn't say anything, but he seemed happy, which made the child smile a little; knowing that they had a hand in making the two happy made the child happy. They walked over to the Nice Cream guy next, maybe there was some more they could buy?

"Hey! It's you again! Business is excellent here! These two fellas bought ALL my ice cream!" Well darn... still, the child wasn't too bothered by that if it meant the two guards were happy.

"I've actually sold out of everything!... sorry." Plus this guy was happy too, that was what really mattered, they turned away from the guy.

"Wait!" _Huh?_

"I've still got something for you!" _Oh?_ The monster smiled.

"... a big smile! How about that?" The child simply smiled in return and moved off to explore the left room... only to find that it was the stage room. They went back and went to the room on the right... it had that little monster... Flame Heatsman. They knelt next to the monster who was standing next to an elevator marked R3.

"Hey, hey! Did you remember my name?" The child nodded and repeated the name. The monster's eyes bulged.

"Wh-WHAT!? You REMEMBER!? How could I be so easily defeateeeeeeeeeed!?" With a chuckle, the child left the little monster where they were and headed up the steps to the room above. They smiled, not because they saw the resort in front of them but because of the familiar face in front of the resort itself.

"Sans!" _So he'd been close after all... I guess if things had really gotten dangerous he could have done something... I hope._ The child thought as they smiled, approaching the skeleton they'd come to trust.

"Hey. I heard you're going to the core. How about grabbing some dinner with me first?"

"Yeah!"

"Great, thanks for treating me."

"Saaaans."

"Just kidding." He said with a wink.

"Over here. I know a shortcut." The child took his hand and, like before, things went dark suddenly only for the dining area to appear around them. It was a fancy sort of place as all the tables were set for two with a candle in the middle. Sans took the seat opposite of them.

"Well, here we are. So. Your journey's almost over, huh?" He said after the waiter, oddly enough it was Grillsby... took their order.

"Yeah... I guess it is." The child said, suddenly filled with mixed feelings about that. Sure they wanted to get to the surface and see the people who mattered again, but... now there were people - well monsters really- who mattered too. Toriel, Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Napstablook, Alphys... of course the countless others too that they'd met along the way.

"You must really want to go home." Home... where exactly was that again? Was it really on the surface with the faces they'd known all their life or was it here? With the monsters who had proven to be so different than what everyone had thought? Who weren't really mean or after blood... who didn't eat humans or do any of the nasty things that so many tells about them had said that they did to humans, children and adults alike.

"Hey. I know the feeling, buddo." The child glanced over to Sans but he wasn't looking their way. Did he really? Did he know how they were torn in two now? Wanting to go home but at the same time... wanting to stay?

"Though..." Their eyes met a moment before he glanced away again.

"... maybe sometimes it's better to take what's given to you." What was he talking about? Was he saying that they should stay here? The child stared, waiting to see if he would provide them with a straight answer. He looked back over, his expression, like normal, didn't give anything away.

"Down here you've already got food, drink, friends..." That was true...

"Is what you have to do... really worth it?" _As much as I want to stay... I... I know I can't... it's not right! I have to find a way to bring them with me! This isn't right that they're trapped down here! They haven't done anything to deserve this!_ Yes, what they had to do WAS worth it... he'd understand soon enough... The child slowly nodded and Sans turned away from them. The child sighed and opened their mouth to speak but before they could Sans turned to speak again.

"Ah, forget it. I'm rootin' for ya kid." The child smiled a little, but he turned away again... he was obviously struggling with something.

"Sans?" What was bothering their friend? He turned back again.

"Hey. Let me tell you a story." The child nodded, the waiter brought their food and the child began to eat the hamburger that they'd ordered. It wasn't as greasy as what Grillby offered, but it was good nonetheless. Only once Grillby was gone did he continue.

"So I'm a sentry in Snowdin forest, right?" The kid nodded.

"I sit out there and watch for humans. It's kind of boring." _Kind of sounds like it would be._

"Fortunately," He winked.

"deep in the forest... there's this HUGE locked door." _The Ruins..._

"And it's perfect for practicing knock knock jokes. So, one day I'm knocking 'em out, like usual. I knock on the door and say "knock knock" and suddenly, from the other side... I hear a woman's voice. 'Who is there?' " _Toriel..._

"So, naturally, I respond: "dishes."

"dishes who?"

"dishes a very bad joke." He winked and the child couldn't help but laugh. Yes, Sans' jokes were horible, but that was what made them funny!

"Then she just howls with laughter." He goes on when the child finally quiets again.

"Like it's the best joke she's heard in a hundred years." He glanced away even as he went on, obviously reminiscing about this time.

"So I keep 'em coming," He looks back over again.

"and she keeps laughing. She's the best audience I've ever had. Then, after a dozen of 'em, SHE knocks and says "Knock knock!" I say "who's there?"

"Old lady!"

"Old lady who?"

"Oh! I did not know you could yodel!" He winked and the child chuckled. Of course! This explained the joke book they'd seen!

"Wow. Needless to say, this woman was extremely good." He winked again, the child smiled a little.

"We kept telling each other jokes for hours. Eventually, I had to leave." Okay, where was he going with this story? Sure it was funny and all, and really neat that Toriel and Sans sorta knew one another...

"Papyrus gets kind of cranky without his bedtime story." The child chuckled, remembering that Sans had indeed read a story to them both before tucking Papyrus in and then going to his own room. _He didn't have to be so nice to me then... but he was..._

"But she told me to come by again, and so I did. Then I did again, and again. It's a thing now. Telling bad jokes through a door. It rules." He turned away again... okay, now the child knew something was up. Why was he telling them all of this? What point was he trying to make? He turned back suddenly.

"... One day, though, I noticed she wasn't laughing very much. I asked her what was up. Then she told me something strange. "If a human ever comes through this door... could you please, please promise me something? Watch over them,and protect them, will you not?" Now, I hate making promises." _A promise?! So that's why you've been following me all over..._ The child thought, thinking back to all those times they'd seen Sans... after meeting him in Snowdin there was the time in Waterfall... the two times they'd seen him in Hotland... though that first time he'd been asleep and Undyne had been chasing them... now here at the MTT resort... how far was Sans going to follow them to fulfill his promise to Toriel?

"And this woman, I don't even know her name. But... someone who sincerely likes bad jokes... has an integrity you can't say "no" to." He winked. _I suppose so..._ He turned away yet again... he really DID seem to be struggling with something... but what? What was it that was bothering him so badly? Why couldn't he simply come out and say it? He turned back around again.

"Do you get what I'm saying?" The child shook their head and he looked straight at them.

"That promise I made to her..." The child began to shake a little, suddenly a bit of dread began to well inside of them.

"You know what would have happened if she hadn't said anything? ... buddy." He closed his eyes and suddenly a chill ran down the child's spine as he turned away again, it wasn't the fact he wasn't looking at them... it was the way he said it...

". . . Y o u ' ." The child gulped. There was no doubt about it, for a moment the entire room had seemed to grow colder; reminding them a little too much of the first feeling they'd had when they had hit the bottom... It had been a soft landing, but the area around the flowers... there was this chill... it wasn't cold, but like there was something THERE... just waiting to be awoken... It had been more than enough to urge them to move on. To leave that place. They began shaking. If Toriel hadn't asked Sans to make that promise... _H-how long ago did that have to be? For her to ask that before I feel down there? W-was it even ... could it have been that NIGHT? W-while I slept? C-could it have been that soon?!_ The child wasn't sure it mattered, but to think that they had been that close to death simply by stepping through those doors... Sans turned back, his eyes still closed. He opened them again.

"Hey, lighten up, bucko! I'm just joking with you." He winked, but that wasn't comforting like it probably should have been. The child stared at their friend, because they had the sinking feeling he really _wasn't_ joking... that he'd said he was to put them at ease again... but... just how strong WAS Sans? He had snapped that strong branch in two in the forest... the one they couldn't no matter how hard they stepped on it... he'd snapped it like it was a twig! How strong did he have to be to do that?! The child swallowed, that, they realized, had been a sign that their friend was no pushover. Sans had some real power behind him... what kind the child could only guess but they really didn't want to find out the same way they had with Papyrus... Thinking on that only made them a little more scared, and at the same time really relieved that Sans was their friend and not an enemy.

"Besides... haven't I done a great job protecting you? I mean, look at yourself." Eh? What did that mean? Slight confusion took over the fear and relief.

"You haven't died a single time." _Are you kidding me?!_

"Hey, what's that look supposed to mean? Am I wrong...?"

"Yes." He turned away again. Why did he keep doing that? After a moment he let out a bit of a laugh and walked a few steps away from the table; then he turned and looked back with a wink.

"Well, that's all." Huh?!

"Take care of yourself, kid." He wasn't even looking at them. Did he know something?

"'Cause someone really cares about you." The child could only watch as Sans walked towards the wall and then vanished. _He really_ can _teleport... I knew it!_ The so called shortcuts were just him teleporting around places. The child sat back down and finished their hamburger only to realize that while Sans might have foot the bill, he hadn't ordered anything himself... _Sans has to be the greatest puzzle around here._ The child thought with a fond smile; once finished they explored the rest of the dinner, but there wasn't really much to the place other than a billboard with raving reviews on it from Mettaton, a billboard with Mettaton's scheduled performances, a TV that showed one of the robot's performances and a few patrons... One of which seemed to be the father of a Snowdrake that the child remembered running into just before arriving in Snowdin. Leaving the dinner the child found that they were inside the hotel. It suddenly occurred to them what MTT stood for... Mettaton. How could a robot own a hotel? Oh well, not that it mattered. Beneath the fountain, which sprayed water on the carpet instead of back into the fountain, was a "save point" and the child smiled a little as they reached for it. They'd come a LONG way through Hotland and were glad to see this. Filled with renewed determination and a purpose now, the child knew what they had to do... _I promise to find a way to get you out of here..._ The child walked around the place, examining anything and everything there was; even checking out the local stores... one of which was in the alleyway behind the hotel itself. Oddly the girls who ran that one had in their stock a cowboy hat and a gun... human things. So a human _had_ once gotten this far... but it seemed that whatever was up ahead had proved too much for them if the two had found the items in a dumpster. _I feel bad for that human..._ but... _I'm not them. I_ will _change things... I will make it and find a way to free my friends._ Oddly enough there was a set of doors that said in big letters "core" so, filled with determination, the child headed through the doors. It was nearly over. A long bridge led over to... who was that? Two figures seemed to stand in front of the entrance to the core. They went inside and just then the phone rang.

"Huh? Who are they?" It was Alphys.

"N-nobody else is s-supposed to be here..." They weren't huh? So then why were they? That comment alone almost confirmed what they had been thinking earlier about the whole ordeal with Mettaton. For a killer robot... Mettaton seemed less determined to actually do any killing and more set on just making a show of things... Was that it? Was this all just one big show?

"Oh well! We can't worry about that now!" Click. Well, that was short and hardly enlightening. No matter, that wasn't going to stop them; they were going to free everyone... somehow. They needed to know more and to talk to King Asgore.


	14. 13: Mettaton

There was an elevator and two doors, one to the right and one to the left of the elevator; the phone rang.

"Ready? This is it! Take the elevator to the top of the CORE!" Click. The elevator was the most direct route but first they wanted to explore a little. The right only led to what looked like a fire pit so the child moved to retrace their steps only to get a call.  
"H-hey aren't you gonna use the elevator? I guess you can go this way!"

"Um..."

"If there wasn't a huge pit in the way...?" Click. Still wanting to explore, they went through the left door. They had barely stepped in before the phone rang again.

"H-hey, why don't you try to use the elevator first?" Suddenly a figure appeared.

"W-watch out!" The child found themselves drawn into a Fight.

"Th-that was close... Wh... why are there so many monsters here?" That was a good question.

"I mean... it's no problem, r-r-right? W-w-we've just got to keep heading forward!" The child nodded. Click. There was some weird sort of sign above the door at the other end of the room. Well, that could wait for later right? The child went back to the first room and tried the elevator; they moved in front of it; nothing happened, they pressed a button, still nothing. The phone rang again.  
"What?" Alphys again.

"The elevator should be working... W-well then, let's go to the left!" The child headed back to the door on the left, was this Mettaton's doing? After all the robot owned MTT and the elevator there wasn't working... so was it possible this one wasn't either for the same reason? The next room had an electrical bolt blocking the way. The phone rang again; the child wasn't surprised it was Alphys.

"Looks like you can't proceed until you hit the switch. B-but those laser traps will activate when you do. Ummm... looks like they'll come in this order: orange, orange, blue." Wasn't that just swell?

"Got it?" They nodded.

"Move until the third one." Click. The child hit the switch, turning off the beam but doing so activated the laser traps beyond. Immediately the lasers activated and the child saw that Alphys had it wrong! They stood still for the first two and moved for the last. They went by rather quickly so it was only their quick thinking that kept them from being hurt. The phone didn't ring until they'd crossed the glass-looking bridge.

"Oh my god... Are you hurt?" The child shook their head.

"I... I'm so sorry, I... I gave you the wrong order."

"I noticed."

"... Everything's going to be fine, okay?" She didn't sound so sure.

"L-let's just keep heading to the right." Click. The child did so only to notice there was another path in the next room. The phone rang again.

"A crossroads... Uhhh... Uhhhh... Tr... try heading to the right." Click. Should they trust Allphys' judgement on this? It didn't seem that she knew for sure... and she'd been wrong with the last one... left it was. The child took the left room only to run into a monster in a dead end. The phone rang again.

"A-are you okay? Why didn't you head to the right...? C-c'mon... Y-you trust me, d-don't you?" Click. _Wasn't sure if I should... looks like I should have._ The child thought and left the room to head to the right. The next room had more lasers, but these were a mix of moving and stationary. The phone rang.

"M... more lasers... Okay, I ... won't mess around this time. I'll just deactivate the lasers and let you through." That sounded like a good plan.

"They're... they're not turning off... I can't turn them off, I... I-i-it's okay! I have this under control!" Who was she trying to reassure? Them or herself?

"I'm going to turn off the power for the whole node. Then you could walk across." So that would mean walking in the dark... oh well, if that worked then so be it. The power shut off.

"Okay, go!" Click. They set off but part way through there they stopped when the phone rang again.

"W-WAIT! STOP!" What now? The power flickered on and the child nearly yelped, they were surrounded by blue lasers! It was a good thing they'd stopped! Well... now this meant that they couldn't move.

"Th-the power... it's turning itself back on." Turning itself on? How could it just do that? The child frowned a little, someone else had to be... _Mettaton probably._ They thought as they looked at the row of lasers ahead of them and listened to Alphys.

"D-damn it... Th-this isn't supposed to..." Did she just cuss? And wait.. this wasn't supposed to happen? Was she confessing to controlling this whole thing?

"I... I'm going to turn off the power again. When it turns off, move a little and then STOP. OK? Y-you won't get h-h-hurt." Click. Trusting Alphys on this, they moved as soon as the power went off again; as soon as the lights began flickering the child stopped and when the lights went on again so did the lasers. The child was standing right in a blue laser when it activated again, they didn't move until the power went out again and then they headed across the bridge in the dark. This continued until they reached the other end of the bridge and were free of the lasers. The phone rang again.

"S-see? I've got everything under control. Everything's under control!" _Hmmmm..._ The child continued on. The next room had a "save point" and the phone rang again; the child really had to wonder why she bothered hanging up if she was going to call so much.

"OK! Y-you should... You should... I don't know? This doesn't look like my map at all..." Was her map outdated?

"I'm sorry... I... I..."

"Don't worry about it Alphys. You've helped me get this far. I'm sure I can figure it out."

"... I have to go." Click. The child sighed and went to the "save point" and touched it before looking at their options. Left, right... straight... _Let's try looking at the signs first..._ They went over to the sign on the left side:

North, the warrior's path

West, the sage's path

Any path leads to the End

Now what did that mean? The child went over to the sign on the right:

East...

The End

Well, okay then. East... right, it was. The child headed down that path a moment before pausing. Wait... what if "the end" meant like a dead end? They headed back and took the straight path this time. The path let to a cross roads again... one path went right and had a sign:

Get lost...

And stay that way.

Well that wasn't nice. Curious, the child took that path and found that there was a way back, a path further ahead was blocked by a laser and had a sign nearby; there was also a sign near the end of this hall and a hall to their immediate left. They read the sign next to them:

To the East!

This is The End.

Okay then... They read the other sign:

I cannot fight.

I cannot think.

But, with patience,

I will make my way through.

 _Ummm... that was a strange sign._ The child took the path that had been to their left. They came to yet another crossroads... straight or to the left... They went straight only to find a room with a trash can in it. They looked in and found 100 gold. Who would throw that away? Well, this was a dead end. The child backtracked and took the left path. Another crossroads. _Geez, how many of these ARE there?!_ Aside from the path ahead, there was one to the left that probably led back to the start and one to their right. There was also a sign near the path just ahead. So the child went over to read the sign:

Traverse the northern room,

and The End will open.

Huh? What was that supposed to mean? Oh well... maybe if they took the path that had been to the right... So that was the path they took. It led them to another room with a bridge. At least this was different, maybe they were making progress? It was hard to tell with all the twists and turns in those hallways. They walked across only to be stopped by a monster that emerged from the darkness around the bridge, pushing them into a Fight, a double fight because it wasn't just one monster, but two. This happened another two times, but the child didn't give in and made their way across to another room with yet another bridge. Across the bridge there were no monsters, and at the end was an elevator that while its doors opened it didn't lead up, and a save point; there was also a doorway with that strange sign that they'd seen on that first door when they'd taken the left route. They touched the "save point" and headed for the door. The child wasn't too surprised to find Mettaton was waiting for them.

"OH YES. THERE YOU ARE DARLING. IT'S TIME TO HAVE OUR LITTLE SHOWDOWN." Showdown? Did this make this the final time? The child hoped so, Mettaton was amusing, but four times of encountering the same monster was a little much... They were certainly persistent. The child had to give the robot that much.

"IT'S FINALLY TIME TO STOP THE "MALFUNCTIONING" ROBOT. ... NOT! MALFUNCTION? REPROGRAMING? GET REAL. THIS WAS ALL JUST A BIG SHOW." _I knew it! I knew something was fishy about all the times Mettaton appeared... this whole thing was fake... well, except maybe this last bit..._

"AN ACT. ALPHYS HAS BEEN PLAYING YOU FOR A FOOL THE WHOLE TIME. AS SHE WATCHED YOU ON SCREEN, SHE GREW ATTACHED TO YOUR ADVENTURE. SHE DESPERATELY WANTED TO BE A PART OF IT. SO SHE DECIDED TO INSERT HERSELF INTO YOUR STORY." While that might be true, the child didn't think that she meant any harm by it; what was the trouble, after all, with wanting to share something with someone?

"SHE REACTIVATED PUZZLES. SHE DEACTIVATED ELEVATORS. SHE ENLISTED ME TO TORMENT YOU. ALL SO SHE COULD SAVE YOU FROM DANGERS THAT DIDN'T EXIST." _As I thought... it was just a big act as he said. Still... it was fun._

"ALL SO YOU WOULD THINK SHE'S THE GREATEST PERSON... THAT SHE'S NOT. AND NOW, IT'S TIME FOR HER FINEST HOUR. AT THIS VERY MOMENT, ALPHYS IS WAITING OUTSIDE THE ROOM. DURING OUR "BATTLE' SHE WILL INTERRUPT. SHE WILL PRETEND TO "DEACTIVATE" ME, "SAVING" YOU ONE FINAL TIME. FINALLY. SHE'LL BE THE HEROINE OF YOUR ADVENTURE."

"So what? What's wrong with that?" The child didn't understand, if this was just a game she was playing, what was the harm of playing along? Mettaton seemed to either not hear or chose to simply ignore the question.

"YOU'LL REGARD HER SO HIGHLY THAT SHE'LL EVEN BE ABLE TO CONVINCE YOU NOT TO LEAVE." The child jolted. Not leave? Did she understand that they had to leave? Not just them... but all the monsters...

"... OR NOT. YOU SEE, I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS PREDICTABLE CHARADE. I HAVE NO DESIRE TO HARM HUMANS. FAR FROM IT, ACTUALLY. MY ONLY DESIRE IS TO ENTERTAIN. AFTER ALL, THE AUDIENCE DESERVES A GOOD SHOW DON'T THEY? AND WHAT'S A GOOD SHOW... WITHOUT A PLOT TWIST?" Plot twist? What did Mettaton have in mind?

"H-hey!" It was Alplhys, as Mettaton had said, she was just beyond the door... the door they realized had just locked...

"Wh-wh-what's going on?! Th-th-the door just locked itself!" Yup, they hadn't been seeing things, Alphys was locked out... which locked **them** in with the not-so-killer robot. The child glanced from the locked door back to Mettaton.

"SORRY, FOLKS! THE OLD PROGRAM'S BEEN CANCELED!" Red lights suddenly flickered on around Mettaton.

"BUT WE'VE GOT A FINALE THAT WILL DRIVE YOU WILD!" Suddenly the room's floor rose up, slowly at first then faster and faster. There was no where to go.

"REAL DRAMA! REAL ACTION! REAL BLOODSHED!" _Oh crap..._

"ON OUR NEW SHOW... "ATTACK OF THE KILLER ROBOT!" A Fight began, the child remembered what Alphys had done to their phone and hoped that it really did work... They chose the "burn" option, not sure if this would work or if it was just a fake like the rest of the things Alphys had put them through.

"YES, I WAS THE ONE WHO RE-ARRANGED THE CORE!" No wonder Alphys' map was useless! Mettaton had done something that she hadn't predicted or planned for!

"I WAS THE ONE WHO HIRED EVERYONE TO KILL YOU!" Well, that explained the other monsters that Alphys hadn't expected either.

"THAT, HOWEVER, WAS A SHORT-SIGHTED PLAN. YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BE BETTER? KILLING YOU MYSELF!" Was the robot serious about that this time? The child hit the "z" on their phone but it didn't seem to phase the robot.

"THAT WORTHLESS PEA-SHOOTER WON'T WORK ON ME, DARLING." _Damn... I should have known!_ Still they kept firing... it was all they had.

"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT ACTING IS!?" _Yeah... I do... but what else can I do?_ They were determined to beat Mettaton... somehow.

"LISTEN, DARLING, I'VE SEEN YOU FIGHT. YOU'RE WEAK. IF YOU CONTINUE FORWARD, ASGORE WILL TAKE YOUR SOUL. AND WITH YOUR SOUL, ASGORE WILL DESTROY HUMANITY."

"I have to try..." Mettaton caused blocks to fall down, the child dodged and fired at the blocks, their shooter at least was good for something, the blocks were blown up by the shooter.

"BUT IF I GET YOUR SOUL, I CAN STOP ASGORE'S PLAN!"

"Yeah? How?" The child asked, there weren't anymore blocks; the child wanted to buy some time to think... How else did one defeat a supposedly invincible enemy except to keep them talking so that maybe a weakness could be found... or maybe they'd figure out a way to befriend him.

"I CAN SAVE HUMANITY FROM DESTRUCTION!" _Persistent about that..._ It didn't exactly answer the question though and the child had to dodge and blast more blocks, though this time they were columns.

"THEN USING YOUR SOUL, I'LL CROSS THE BARRIER... AND BECOME THE STAR I'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF BEING!" So that was it. Mettaton dreamed of being famous.

"HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS...NO! MILLIONS OF HUMANS WILL WATCH ME!" More blocks, the child dodged them.

"GLITZ! GLAMOUR! I'LL FINALLY HAVE IT ALL! SO WHAT IF A FEW PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE? THAT'S SHOW BUSINESS, BABY!" The phone rang, the child picked up, hoping Alphys had some idea...

"U... uh... I can't see what's going on in there... but... D-d-don't give up, okay!? Th... there's o-one l-l-last way to beat Mettaton... It's... um... it's... This is a work in progress, so don't judge it too hard... But, you know how Mettaton always faces f-f-forward? That's because there's a switch on his backside. S-s-so if y-y-you c-c-can turn him around... um... And, um... press th-th-th-th switch... He'll be... um... He'll be... vulnerable. Well, g-g-gotta go!" Click. The child took a deep breath.

"Hey Mettaton, is that a mirror behind you?"

"OH? A MIRROR? RIGHT, I HAVE TO LOOK PERFECT FOR OUR FINALE!" It worked like a charm, the robot turned over, sure enough... like Alphys said, there was a big switch on his back.

"HMMMM... I DON'T SEE IT... WHERE IS IT...?" The child lunged forward and flipped it before the robot could figure things out. The robot froze.

"DID YOU. JUST FLIP. MY SWITCH?" The robot spun about, lights flashing as he clutched his... well he didn't have a head so it was his body? or the top portion anyway. The child backed up as the robot wobbled on his wheel. It got worse and worse until a blinding light suddenly flared up, causing the child to shield their eyes, but there was no sound of an explosion... Instead the music that the robot had been blaring seemed to change. As the child found the light had faded and they could see again they noticed two spot lights and suddenly fog was coming up from the stage and obscuring the area where Mettaton had been a moment ago. Slowly a humanoid silhouette appeared in the fog and a familiar voice spoke out, though there was something different about it.

"Ohhhh my. If you flipped my switch that could only mean one thing. You're desperate for the premiere of my new body." New body?!

"How rude... Lucky for you I have been aching to show this off for a long time. So... as thanks, I'll give you a handsome reward. I'll make your last living moments... " The fog finally cleared, revealing the newly transformed Mettaton.

"ABSOLUTELY beautiful!" The child stared a moment at the android that stood before them, hoping that Alphys was right that this meant the robot was vulnerable. Then, to the child's surprise, he began doing all sorts of poses. Well... okay then. They saw a board light up, showing the ratings. _Maybe if I get them high enough I can stop all this..._ The child thought.

"Lights! Camera! Action!" Mettaton cried as the child posed for the camera... not that they'd seen it or knew what it was... but the ratings jumped a little... The child dodged the wild leg kicks that Mettaton did, the ratings jumped and as the other danced about, sometimes knocking down blocks, the child danced about as well; whirling out of the way of attacks, blasting the blocks and even posing. At one point even a disco ball with lasers lit up the area and the child had to dodge the white beams while staying still in a pose through the blue. This continued for a while, the ratings climbing with each turn and the child even ate a glamburger and the ratings had jumped at that even as their health returned and their wounds healed. The audience, whoever and wherever they were, seemed to love that. The child did everything they could to boost the ratings even while dodging all the attacks. Using whatever they could to not hurt the robot; Mettaton had said it himself, he didn't want to really hurt them... so why should they hurt Mettaton? They dodged and ducked, posing and soon enough the ratings hit the ten thousand mark.

"OOH, LOOK AT THESE RATINGS! THIS IS THE MOST VIEWERS I'VE EVER HAD!" Mettaton seemed happy at this and finally stood in one place for more than five seconds.

"WE'VE REACHED THE VIEWER CALL-IN MILESTONE! ONE LUCKY VIEWER WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO TALK TO ME... BEFORE I LEAVE THE UNDERGROUND FOREVER! LET'S SEE WHO CALLS IN FIRST! HI, YOU'RE ON TV! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY, ON THIS, OUR LAST SHOW?"

"Oh..." The child knew that voice!

"Hi... Mettaton... I really liked watching your show..." Who was it though? It sounded familiar, they thought about it a moment.

"My life if pretty boring... but... seeing you on the screen... brought excitement to my life... vicariously. I can't tell, but... I guess this is the last episode... ? I'll miss you Mettaton..." The child watched Mettaton's emotions. It seemed he knew this voice too... of course! That was who it was!

"... Oh... I didn't mean to talk so long...oh..."

"NO, WAIT! WAIT BL... H... THEY ALREADY HUNG UP." For a moment, Mettaton seemed distressed at this before smiling again.

"I'LL TAKE ANOTHER CALLER!"

"Mettaton, your show made us so happy!" One caller said, then suddenly more callers piped up.

"Mettaton, I don't know what I'll watch without you."

"Mettaton, there's a Mettaton-shaped hole in my Mettaton-shaped heart."

"AH... I..." Mettaton seemed to get very emotional all of the sudden and the child didn't blame them. All those monsters calling in, who had loved watching him even though the entire thing had begun as a farce that had been orchestrated by Alphys. That didn't seem to matter to them.

"I SEE..." He fell silent a moment before smiling a little.

"EVERYONE... THANK YOU SO MUCH. ... DARLING."

"Hmmmm?"

"PERHAPS... IT MIGHT BE BETTER IF I STAY HERE FOR A WHILE. HUMANS ALREADY HAVE STARS AND IDLES, BUT MONSTERS... THEY ONLY HAVE ME. IF I LEFT... THE UNDERGROUND WOULD LOSE ITS SPARK." The child smiled a little.

"I'D LEAVE AN ACHING VOID THAT CAN NEVER BE FILLED. SO... I THINK I'LL HAVE TO DELAY MY BIG DEBUT. BESIDES. YOU'VE PROVEN TO BE VERY STRONG. PERHAPS... EVEN STRONG ENOUGH TO GET PAST ASGORE. I'M SURE YOU'LL BE ABLE TO PROTECT HUMANITY." The child honestly hadn't thought about it that way before.

"HA, HA... IT'S ALL FOR THE BEST, ANYWAY. THE TRUTH IS, THIS FORM'S ENERGY CONSUMPTION IS... INEFFICIENT. IN A FEW MOMENTS, I'LL RUN OUT OF BATTERY POWER, AND... WELL. I'LL BE ALRIGHT. KNOCK 'EM DEAD, DARLING. AND EVERYONE... THANK YOU. YOU'VE BEEN A GREAT AUDIENCE!" With a flash of light the Fight ended and the floor seemed to have returned back to the way it had been.

"I... I managed to open the lock. Are you two..." It was Alphys' voice seeing Mettaton lose power like that after the Fight had made them forget she was even there.

"Oh my god." She said when she reached their side and saw Mettaton. She moved over to him.

"Mettaton! Mettaton, are you..." The child didn't know what to say as she checked the robot over before looking away.

"... thank GOD, it's just the batteries. Mettaton if you were gone, I would have..." Was Mettaton more than just a simple robot? Obviously he meant something to Alphys.


	15. 14: A Story

"I would have..." As if realizing they were still there, Alphys suddenly became nervous.

"I m-mean, h-hey it's n-no problem you know? He's just a robot, if you messed it up I c-could always... Just build another."

"But is he?" Alphys was quiet a moment.

"Why don't you go on ahead? I... I just need a moment."

"Alright." The child stepped around the deactivated Mettaton and headed into the next room, another hallway that bent into another. The child had gone part way through the second one when they heard footsteps and stopped, turning to see it was Alphys. She stopped a few feet away, seeming nervous about something.

"S... sorry about that! L-let's keep going!" The child nodded and the two walked a little ways before Alphys spoke.

"S-so you're about to meet Asgore, h-huh? You must be... Y-you must be... Pr... pretty excited about all that, huh?"

"A little." _It's just within reach now..._

"You'll f-f-finally... You'll finally get to go home!"

"Yeah..." Home was the furthest thing from their mind at the moment. They hit the button for the elevator.

"W... Wait!" The child turned to see that she'd stopped a few feet away.

"I mean, um... I... I was just going to... um... Say goodbye, and..." She seemed really nervous about this, what was she really trying to say? She was silent a long moment, as if she seemed about to say something but just couldn't. She turned away.

"I can't take this anymore." She turned her back to the child.

"I... I lied to you. A human soul isn't enough to cross the barrier alone. It takes at least a human soul and a monster soul." The child frowned in thought. How could this be? After all, hadn't they crossed the barrier the first time when they'd jumped in? This didn't make any sense, but they didn't argue.

"... If you want to go home. You'll have to take his soul." Take his soul? But that wasn't possible... no human had been able to take a monster's soul, they'd learned this from the history on the war between humans and monsters. Who was wrong? Those who'd written the history or Alphys? There was only one way to find out.

"You'll have to kill Asgore." She looked at the child, there was such sadness in her eyes before she turned away again and walked a few steps before stopping.

"I'm sorry." She hurried off then, leaving the child. _Do I have to? Is it really me or him?_ The child shook away the thought. No, they'd find a way to break the barrier and take everyone with them. The child took the elevator; it was a long ride, along the way they began to think about what they would say to the king once they finally made it.

They stepped into the room only to see that Mettaton was waiting.

"MY. MY. SO YOU'VE FINALLY ARRIVED. AFTER OUR FIRST MEETING, I REALIZED... SOMETHING GHASTLY. YOU'RE NOT JUST A THREAT TO MONSTERS... BUT HUMANITY AS WELL. OH MY. THAT'S AN ISSUE."

"Really now?" The child sneered.

"YOU SEE, I CAN'T BE A STAR WITHOUT AN AUDIENCE. AND BESIDES... THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE I WANT TO PROTECT."

"Don't make me laugh. You don't have a heart." The child said before moving forward.

"AH HA HA. EAGER, AS ALWAYS, EH? BUT DON'T TOUCH THAT DIAL. THERE'S SOMETHING YOU HAVEN'T ACCOUNTED FOR. AS ANY TRUE FAN WOULD KNOW, I WAS FIRST CREATED AS A HUMAN ERADICATION ROBOT."

"So what?"

"IT WAS ONLY AFTER BECOMING A STAR THAT I WAS GIVEN A MORE... PHOTOGENIC BODY. HOWEVER. THOSE ORIGINAL FUNCTIONS HAVE NEVER BEEN REMOVED..." What the heck did that matter? Was it going to Fight or not?!

"COME ANY CLOSER AND I'LL BE FORCED TO SHOW YOU... MY TRUE FORM!" Now they were getting somewhere! The child took another step forward.

"FINE THEN! RRRRREADY? IIIIIIIT'S SHOW TIME!" In a blinding flash, the robot transformed, the child grinned; knowing this was probably more for show than anything. Mettaton "Neo" was likely no more unbeatable than his normal form. One hit was all it took really.

"Gh... GUESS YOU DON'T WANNA TO JOIN MY FAN CLUB...?" The robot exploded in a flash of light. The child rolled their eyes once they could see again. That was too easy, but then again, no one had been able to give them a true challenge after defeating Undyne. That stupid fish had caused more trouble than any of the other monsters had. The child moved on through the last passage of the Core. There weren't any monsters in this area according to the save point. Everything was quiet for a while, not that they minded it. The city scape had been only vaguely noteworthy. Reminding them of their purpose as they stepped from a hallway to a "save point." they touched the point as usual. No monsters were detected here either. _Good._ The child thought before moving forward into an area where there was a house and another "save point." It reminded the child a little too much of The Ruins. They frowned even as they touched that "save point" too and then went inside. Much to their disgust they were met by Flowey who yammered on as they went through the house to get the two keys needed to get past the lock on the basement before heading down into the long hallway; Flowey insisted on following and yammering the entire way... what was with that flower? He was really starting to become annoying. Eventually he became cowed, like the coward he really was, and disappeared. Finally... peace and quiet.

Finally the elevator stopped and the child moved on past what looked like a city scape. It was so very quiet... why was it so quiet? Was everyone sleeping? There were no monsters in sight. Just a view of a nearby city, but there were no sounds from it. The child felt a slight chill go up their spine. They didn't really like this and so they hurried on as fast as they could. Seeing a "save point" they touched it and hurried through to the next part. It too was quiet with no monsters. Just another part of the city it looked like, or rather, a part of the road that skirted around the city itself. The more the silence persisted the more eerie things were and the more frightened the child was. Where was everyone? Finally they came upon a familiar looking house with a "save point" in front of it. It looked just like the home they remembered seeing in The Ruins. _Just like Toriel's... what does that mean though?_ The child wondered a moment before shoving the thought aside and touching the "save point" before going inside. They moved over to the basement, but it was barred. A note was on it:

Howdy! I'm in the garden. If you have anything you need to get off your chest, don't hesitate to come. The keys are in the kitchen and the hallway..

Now why would the way be locked? Was there something special down there? The child shrugged and headed to the right first. Like with Toriel's house the hallway had three doors, the silence, much to the child's relief, was broken by a set of monsters. It was a pair of Froggits, just like The Ruins... instead of Fighting though, as the child expected, they spoke.

"A long time ago a human fell into The Ruins." The first said, the second picked up where the first seemed to have left off.

"Injured by its fall, the human called out for help." Well okay then. The two hopped off and the child saw the key, they headed for it; it was sitting on a small drawer. They saw a mirror at the end of the hallway. Looking inside the mirror only revealed their reflection. Despite all that they had been through, their reflection hadn't changed... though they did notice there were golden flowers all over this house. They explored a little, the room by the mirror was Asgore's. It had a trophy in it that said "Number 1 Nose-Nuzzle Champs '98" ... just like Toriel's room. Was she... the queen? If so, that only raised more questions. The child shook them and the thought away. A macaroni flower near the bed said on the bottom 'For King Dad.' So he had a child. Asgore also had a journal open but all the most recent entries said 'It's a Nice day today!' Though the ink on the most recent looked like it might still be wet. The child was careful not to mess it by going too far back. Not wanting to pry further, the child left it alone on the most recent page and headed out. One room had a sign on it that said, just like Toriel's home, 'under renovation.' The child moved into the last room to find twin bunk beds. _Make that children..._ They examined the room, noticing two gift boxes on the floor. Who had left these? The child opened the first to find a heart-locket inside that said 'best friends forever' on it. The child hesitated a moment, but something inside them resonated with the locket and so they slipped it over their head. It fit perfectly, the child didn't think anything of that as they moved over to the second one only to find a worn dagger in it. Who would leave something like that lying around in a child's room?! They left the dagger where it was and headed out of the room towards the kitchen only to be stopped in the hallway by two whimsun.

"Asriel, the king's son, heard the human's call." _Wait... so they lived as a family in The Ruins?_ The child listened as the second spoke.

"He brought the human back to the castle." _Okay, maybe not..._ Or maybe the Ruins were the old castle... well, it didn't matter much really. The two fluttered away and the child continued on into the living room only to be stopped by three monsters this time, Moldsmal.

"Over time, Asriel and the human became like siblings."

"The King and the Queen treated the human as their own." The second spoke up followed by the third.

"The Underground was full of hope." Like the previous monsters, they left the child without attacking. The child went into the kitchen and grabbed the key on the counter. Now with both keys, the child went back to the chain and unlocked it; leaving the chain link limp, the child made their way downstairs and into the basement... this was strangely a lot like Toriel's place, but with some minor differences. One major difference being the house was painted in grays instead of purple. The child went down the long hall, not surprised when they were stopped by a pair of monsters, Migosp.

"Then... one day... "

"The human became very ill." They ran off and the child continued on, stopped this time by three Vegetoid.

"The sick human had only one request."

"To see the flowers from their village."

"But there was nothing we could do." They dove into the ground, leaving the child to continue on their way until they were stopped by another pair of monsters, Loox this time.

"The next day."

"The next day." The second said; then, to the child's surprise, the second spoke again after a moment when the first seemed like they were going to say something, but didn't..

"The child died." The two left. The next monsters to stop the child was a pair of Snowdrakes.

"Asriel, wracked with grief, absorbed the human's soul." The child wasn't sure they liked where this story was heading... That didn't stop the monsters.

"He transformed into a being with incredible power." The next monsters were three Ice Caps.

"With the human soul, Asriel crossed the barrier."

"He carried the human's body into the sunset."

"Back to the village of the humans." Around the second bend in the hallway, three Wosha appeared.

"Asriel reached the center of the village."

"There, he found a bed of golden flowers."

"He carried the human onto it." _Knowing humans... this can't end well..._ The child thought as they moved on into the third part of the hallway. Stopped again by three Shyren.

"Suddenly, screams rang out."

"The villagers saw Asriel holding the human's body."

"They thought that he had killed the child." _As I thought... always jumping to the wrong conclusions..._ They thought sadly as they moved on, stopped by a trio of Dummies this time.

"The humans attacked him with everything they had."

"He was struck with blow after blow."

"Asriel had the power to destroy them all." The child knew how this had to end... The Dummies hopped away and moments later the child was stopped by two more monsters, a Knight Knight and a Madjick. The Knight Knight spoke first.

"But..."

"Asriel did not fight back."

"Clutching the human..." The Knight Knight continued.

"Asriel smiled and walked away." The Madjick finishes and then the two walked off. The next monsters was a trio of Final Froggit.

"Wounded, Asriel stumbled home."

"He entered the castle and collapsed."

"His dust spread across the garden." Was that the same garden the king was in now? The child wondered as the three monsters left, none of them ever staying long enough for questions. So they just moved on. Running into a trio of Whimsalot next.

"The kingdom fell into despair."

"The King and Queen had lost two children in one night."

"The humans had once again taken everything from us." The next trio of monsters were Astigmatism. One of the more unnerving monsters, but one the child didn't ever remember running into before.

"The King decided it was time to end our suffering."

"Every human who falls down here must die."

"With enough souls, we can shatter the barrier forever." They didn't like the sound of that, would Asgore hurt them just for their soul to break the barrier instead of letting them go home? The next trio of monsters was a Moldsmal, a Loox and a Migosp. The first to speak was the Loox.

"It's not long now." The three then spoke almost at the same time.

"King Asgore will let us go."

"King Asgore will give us hope.

"King Asgore will save us all." The next trio was a Pyrope with two Vulkins.

"You should be smiling, too." The Pyrope said, but honestly the child felt more and more unnerved.

"Aren't you excited?" _Not the word I'd choose about now..._

"Aren't you happy?" _Um.._ The three left, and a Froggit appeared next.

"You're going to be free." Right. Free... but in what terms? Seeing an elevator they went inside only to pause when they came back out again almost immediately. What the? It was a short cut... maybe like what Sans had talked about... it led to the beginning of the hallway! _Um... well, okay..._ The child thought and, now shaking in a mix of uncertainty and fear, the child moved back through the elevator to where they'd been moments before and took the path ahead of them. The contrast was almost blinding. They found themselves in a hallway of golden tiles and pillars. The sunlight streaming in. Near the door was a "save point" and the child nearly felt faint with both trepidation and relief. They touched it then slowly moved forward through the hallway only to stop when a familiar silhouette blocked their path. It was hard to see who it was as their eyes were still adjusting, but the voice was familiar.


	16. 15: The Judge

"So, you finally made it. The end of your journey is at hand. In a few moments you will meet the king. Together... you will determine the future of this world." Was that? Their vision slowly began to come into focus, adjusting to the light.

"That's then. Now. You will be judged." Judged?

"You will be judged for your every action. You will be judged for every Exp you've earned."

"Exp?" Was that...?

"What's Exp? It's an acronym. It stands for "execution points." A way of quantifying the pain you have inflicted on others." It was hard to tell who it was in this lighting, the figure was just standing just so that it was impossible to be certain yet, but the child was almost positive at this point. Just listening to the voice was a little comforting and yet... at the same time it wasn't. If only because of what was being said.

"When you kill someone, your Exp increases. When you have enough Exp, your LOVE increases." LOVE? Hadn't Flowey said something about that when they'd first met?

"LOVE, too, is an acronym." It was?

"It stands for "Level of Violence." _So then... Flowey was trying to trick me from the very start... he knew... had to know..._ The child was dismayed that the flower had deceived them this much. Still, there had to be a reason the flower had right?

"A way of measuring someone's capacity to hurt. The more you kill, the easier it becomes to distance yourself. The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt." The child glanced away, they knew that feeling a little too well... hadn't they felt it while watching others play video games and destroy every "monster" or enemies without remorse or hesitation? The child hadn't been able to play themselves, but... they'd found themselves rooting for the player at some point... It hadn't been the best of feelings when they'd begun to realize this while down here. That humans could so easily be violent for no other reason then to "gain" something from the actions... whether it be experience points, gold, or some other reward...

"The more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others." The child didn't speak up, didn't argue... was this why the other children found it so easy to pick on them? Had they become so distant that the thought of hurting someone else's feelings was something that they no longer cared about? It would explain so much...

"... but you. You never gained any LOVE." The child looked up as the figure took a single step forward. The child had mixed feelings now. They'd been right... it was him. Sans. The same monster who had taken them in, who had fed them and given them advice... had comforted them... had followed them around... He wasn't just keeping a promise... he was... doing his job. The child just stared.

" 'Course, that doesn't mean you're completely innocent or naive. Just that you kept a certain tenderness in your heart." He met their gaze square on, it was hard to think that the relaxed skeleton who had made puns all the time could be so serious like this...

"No matter the struggles or hardships you faced... you strived to do the right thing." So... what did this mean? The child was no fool, they knew Sans was strong... was he... here to fight? The thought sent a shiver up their spine.

"You refused to hurt anyone." He didn't seem tensed to fight... he was as relaxed as always, hands in his pockets.

"Even when you ran away, you did it with a smile." _I... I never ran except... the fight with Undyne... how could he know about that unless... He really WAS following me around the whole time!_

"You never gained LOVE, but you gained love; does that make sense?" The child thought about it a moment and slowly nodded. Yes, they knew what he meant... or thought they did.

"Maybe not. ... Now." He closed his eyes and the child began to shake a little. This was it wasn't it? He opened his eyes again, they were still the same though...

"You're about to face the greatest challenge of your entire journey. Your actions here... will decide the fate of the entire world."

"Th... they will?" The child squeaked. He nodded.

"If you refuse to fight... Asgore will take your soul and destroy humanity. But if you kill Asgore and go home... monsters will remain trapped underground."

"But..." They trailed off, that couldn't be the only options! There had to be something else!

"What will you do?"

"What would you do?" The child said suddenly. He closed his eyes, but this time the child wasn't afraid he meant to fight them. It was apparent now to them that he just wanted to talk. He seemed to consider the question a while before answering.

"Well, if I were you, I would have thrown in the towel by now."

"Really?" That seemed odd that he would; he opened his eyes again.

"But you didn't get this far by giving up, did you?" They shook their head.

"That's right. You have something called "determination." So as long as you hold on... So as long as you do what's in your heart..." What was he trying to say?

"I believe you can do the right thing." The right thing? But what was the right thing to do? Obviously freeing the monsters, but ... how could they do that without sacrificing humanity to Asgore?

"Alright. We're all counting on you, kid. Good luck." He winked.

"Sans w-" But the skeleton was gone, having teleported out. The child sighed. Great. The child moved through the hallway, conflicted by all of the thoughts running through their head now. The door at the far end led to another gray hallway. Why was only that room yellow? The child pushed that question aside, it wasn't important now. They had to save the monsters, but how to do it without unleashing Asgore's fury against humanity on innocent humans? Could they talk him out of it maybe? They hoped so. No innocent should have to die just because of the actions of a few evil humans who were now long dead. The hallway led to another door with a sign next to it that read:

Throne Room

There was a "save point" on the other side of the door. Taking a deep breath the child went over to it and touched it. Then everything went dark.


	17. 16: Not As Predicted

What was going on?! What the heck was that all about? Well, it didn't matter, the child moved into the throne room... except that Asgore wasn't there. Where was he? The child frowned and moved forward to the next room, the barrier pulsed in front of them. The barrier was still here... but Asgore was nowhere to be found.

"Where is he?!"

"Looking for someone?" The child spun around, staring as they came face to face with Sans.

"Y-you..."

"What's the matter kid?" Sans stared at the child a moment before noticing they were covered in dust...

"K-kid... you..." They clutched the knife.

"Where's Asgore?! Why aren't you dead?!" The child cried out and moved forward but Sans was quicker and grabbed the child in his magic. Lifting them up into the air.

"That's what I'd like to know. You dusted him... didn't you."

"Tch. I wish!" The child winced as they slammed into the ceiling.

There was something wrong. The child wasn't sure what, but a chill went through them as they stepped forward into the throne room. No one was there; all was quite. Wasn't Asgore supposed to be here? So why wasn't he? Was he somewhere ahead? Maybe at the barrier itself? The child paused in their steps before what looked to be a garden of yellow flowers around one of two thrones. Who put a garden in a throne room? Oh well, it didn't really matter for the moment because it wasn't what was so unnerving. The child moved past the massive chair, it was so big it could have held almost three adults! The child's shoes against the tile seemed to be the only sound. The small room beyond was empty, but the hallway wasn't. The distant 'voom' of the barrier, that had to be close by, was a little startling after the silence. To their surprise it wasn't Asgore who was there, but a child who looked like them and they weren't alone. Sans was staring at the doppelganger, his left eye gleaming blue and they saw that the other was being held in Sans' magic.

"I won't ask again."

"Sans!" The skeleton's head whipped around, his eyes widening.

"Frisk?! What the?!" The child ran over to him.

"What's going on Sans? Who is that?" Sans was silent a moment as he glanced from the kid in his magic to the one next to him. They looked identical to a "T" ... except that Frisk wasn't holding a knife or covered in dust... and Frisk didn't have any LOVE but this kid...

"I dunno kid... wait... don't tell me you're..." He looked over at the other child who just glared back.

"You're that monster from my nightmares..." Frisk's eyes widened as suddenly all of it came to them. Those nightmares were real... ? Than that meant this was...

"Ch-Chara?" Sans narrowed his eye sockets as the other child crossed their arms and smirked.

"So you've figured it out. Guess you're not sans a brain." The two frowned at that while the child- Chara, giggled. Now that he took a closer look at the two, the difference between them was more obvious despite that they looked so much like Frisk, their red eyes were more apparent because they didn't squint, the dust of course... and the way they had stood when they had faced Sans when he'd come in. That last one had been the first clue to him that the child before him hadn't been who he'd been expecting to run into. That he wasn't Frisk, who Sans had thought he'd followed just to see what the outcome would be. Asgore hadn't been in the throne room though where Sans had left him moments ago, which had made him wonder if Chara hadn't... despite the denials, he **was** covered in dust after all and the blood on the knife she clutched was fresh... Chara suddenly stared like she was seeing ghosts. It was a strange sight to see. Memories began flooding her as she stared.

"Y... you're all dead... I'm sure of it! ... Dead... dead..." The chant continued even as Sans glanced over his shoulder to see Mettaton, Undyne, Papyrus and Toriel appear from the other end of the hallway.

"Oh my." Mettaton was the first to speak, the robot's eyes widening as they saw the sight.

"WHAT? TWO FRISKS?!"

"Sans?! Frisk?! Wha?" Undyne looked just as confused as the rest of the group as they glanced from Frisk to Chara and back again; obviously trying to figure out why they were seeing double and why Sans was slamming the other around the room.

"Wait! Stop!" It was Toriel who ran towards him as the child crashed to the floor with only 1 HP remaining now even as they'd continued to rant "dead" and were now giggling madly.

"Huh?" He knew that voice.

"Don't hurt my child!" That just confused Sans even more as she moved over to the shaking form of Chara.

"What gives? I know that voice..."

"That's Toriel. She's the one you've been speaking with through the door." Frisk replied, watching as Toriel knelt down before Chara.

"Are you alright my child?"

"What's with the whole 'my child' thing. You aren't related to her are ya?"

"No. I adopted her as my mom, but so did Chara. Chara was the first human to fall down here." Frisk replied after a moment, watching as Chara clung to Toriel, having dropped the knife nearby; the giggling had ceased and now they simply seemed to be crying.

"I don't understand... mom... what's going on?" Frisk didn't like the tone that Chara was using. Something was wrong, Chara picked up the knife and raised it.

"Mom!" Frisk cried out even as Sans flung the child upward, forcing them to drop the knife again.

"Unhand my child!" She turned around and sent fire at Sans who's eyes widened. Frisk leapt forward and took the attack. Toriel's eyes widened.

"F... Frisk."

"Kid! You okay?" Frisk turned around and gave Sans a thumbs up and a smile before turning back to Toriel while Sans held the child against one of the walls.

"Mom... Chara was going to stab you. Sans saved you." She just stared.

"And you saved me kiddo... how'd you know?"

"That it only took one hit?" They asked quietly. He nodded.

"The nightmares... guess they finally had a use huh?" Sans shook his head a little at that. So the nightmares weren't for nothing... but... what was Chara doing here? How were they here with Frisk? This didn't make any sense! Toriel looked over at Frisk in quiet confusion.

"Child... how do you know that name... Chara?" Frisk was silent a moment and Chara didn't say a word, she just glared at them.

"It's who she is. The one I first encountered when I came down here. When I fell down, it knocked me out and the first one I met was Chara. She told me she'd guide me through the Underground, would help me get out if I just followed what she said... I woke up then on a bed of flowers. I didn't think I had any other choice but to follow what she told me and she was helpful at times. Telling me about monsters and things. That was before I met Flowey, who I met a few minutes later and then you when you stopped him from killing me."

"You really are pathetic."

"You have no right to say that about my child!" Toriel shoots back, glaring at the other child in return.

"She's right though." Frisk says quietly.

"Don't you think that for a moment kiddo." Sans said before any of the others could. Frisk looked at the skeleton in quiet curiosity.

"Look around you... do ya really think that just anyone coulda brought us all here? We're here 'cause we're rootin' for you. We want you to succeed." Frisk looked at his group of friends before nodding a little.

"But not all of you are here..." He trailed off a moment.

"There's someone missing?" Frisk nodded, but before anyone could ask a familiar voice spoke from the darkness.

"You idiots..." Vines lashed out from the darkness and ensnared everyone but Frisk who spun about...

"Flowey..."

"While you were all gathered here having your little reunion I stole the human souls. I also ensnared me a prize too." He smirked and, along with the others, it became clear that Asgore was wrapped in vines as well.

"Flowey! You... urgh..." Chara winced as the vines kept a good grip.

"Not so useless now am I _Chara._.. but you're not MY Chara... you're just an "anomaly" that managed to find a way here. No matter, I'll use your soul to become a God!" Frisk could only watch in horror as Flowey absorbed the souls he held captive, laughing as bright red light surrounded him. Frisk recoiled in horror as Flowey morphed into what looked like black screen, red eyes peering out from the "darkness" with a wicked smile full of teeth that looked to be razor sharp. His roots became four large vines with claws on the ends, to support the body that was growing in size as well. Six large cables that looped around the head replaced the flower petals and a set of very human-like eyes, purple in color, sprouted out on vine stalks between the lower two of these cables. His leaves morphed into bone-like arms with a wicked set of claws at the end instead of normal fingers. Just when Frisk thought things couldn't get worse... it did... a second, physical mouth sprouted out of the main body, directly in front of Frisk who lunged back to avoid it as it came out... sideways?! It was more like two large pincers but with human teeth! Horns sprouted from the top of the "screen" as well, that looked a lot like a computer monitor in shape if Frisk thought about it long enough but he was too busy being horrified by the transformation to give that too much thought.


	18. 17: Flowey

With a laugh, Frisk knew that the battle of his young life was about to start, but he didn't feel fear... only the determination to save his friends. To free them from the nightmare that had swallowed them whole!

"Do you really think you stand a chance? I am a God! You are nothing but a pest in my way! I will prove to you just how pathetic you are!" There wasn't that familiar tug that Frisk had grown accustomed to for a Fight, instead he leapt back as vines slammed into where he'd been standing moments before, impaling the ground, his soul appearing in a flash. The vines swiped at him and he found himself dodging the same "friendliness pellets" from when he'd first met Flowey as they were spewed forth from the very "skin" of the massive vines that held Flowey upright now. The attacks kept coming and Frisk found he couldn't dodge them all. Although the first few were easy, it was almost impossible to avoid the massive flies spewed from the front "feet" and at the same time the massive beam from that massive mouth on the body and the vines that were trying to impale him all at the same time! This was a bit much wasn't it?! He didn't have time to really think but it was the sound of an alarm of some sort that caught his attention and the fact that he was given a breather as the attacks finally seemed to stop. He looked over at Flowey's face to see that it was gone, replaced by what looked like a light blue heart. What did that mean? Why was that one cable glowing the same color? Suddenly knives appeared in the room... a lot of them and they were almost three times as big as Frisk! Somehow he managed to dodge the whirling blades as the spun about the room in a pattern that he quickly saw and it allowed him to keep from being hurt. Suddenly he saw it... floating amongst the knives... the "act" command... when had that gotten there?! None of this made sense and Frisk knew this wasn't a normal fight as the usual command buttons that had often floated about before him during battle had been nowhere to be found when Flowey had attacked. Frisk had the sinking feeling, as he slowly made his way through the knives to the "act" command that he wouldn't be able to utilize his inventory or even spare Flowey as he might have used with Asgore had there been a confrontation there as Alphys had predicted there would be... but nothing had gone as anyone could have predicted it might. Chara was here... and then there was this now... This was wrong. Frisk was certain of it, but he also knew that he had to save them all... including Chara, from Flowey's grasp. Somehow.

"Someone... anyone... if you can hear me.. please help!" Frisk cried out as he slammed down on the command that glowed before him. A few seconds later the knives stopped their deadly spins, and suddenly were gone. Replaced by green bandaids that flew towards him and upon the first touch Frisk began to feel himself again; the heart on the monitor was no longer blue either, it was yellow.. Each bandaged renewed him, filling him with strength and banishing his wounds; he touched as many as he could before they vanished and Flowey's eyes emerged from the pitch blackness of the screen once more. Had that been one of the six human souls that had been trapped by Flowey? He didn't have time to think much on it as he dodged red glowing spears next! How dare he! He was using Undyne's magic! it only served to fuel his determination to take Flowey down as he dodged the next barrage of vines, ignoring the floating words that said "file 3 saved" as he dodged another blast from that mouth and more of those pellets. Each attack hurt, but Frisk continued and suddenly he saw the "fight" command float above him as he leapt back from an attack of vines. He slammed down on it, but Flowey didn't really seem to feel the blow as Frisk lashed out against one of the legs... or arms... whatever one could consider the front appendages with claws. Was the hit even doing any sort of damage? It didn't matter if it was or not as Frisk leapt back from green bones with yellow streaks down them... Curse that Flowey! He was now using Papyrus' attacks against him! Seconds later a skull with ram's horns appeared, it was a sickly moss green in color, not that Frisk noticed much as he dodged two blasts from one and barely escaped being blasted by a second that appeared behind him. He'd had to jump on the thing just to avoid it! He'd never seen this before... was this part of Sans' power? No time to think, just react as black flames shot out from the humanoid eyes... Those were like Toriel's! That rotten weed was using his friends against him! No doubt about that now as electrical bolts seemed to fire next from the cables themselves... an attack Frisk remembered having to deal with while fighting Mettaton. Frisk was panting again when he heard the alarm sound, he looked over to see that there was that same warning across the screen, but this time the heart on it was orange this time. Now what? Frisk glanced around as what seemed to be giant gloves spiraled around in circles, he did his best to avoid them. It wasn't easy, by the time he saw the "act" command appear in a spiral of the gloves that had been trying to hit him like so many punches from invisible hands, he knew he truly needed the help. His hand trembled as he pressed the command and cried out piteously.

"Please... help..." In response, the gloves turned from the matching orange color of the heart to green with little hearts on them and they seemed to be giving him a thumbs up... He didn't hesitate to touch as many as possible, like the bandaids before, the now-green gloves returned his health. With each passing moment, he felt more and more determined to take down Flowey... somehow... but how? He didn't have much time to think on that as the gloves faded and he was faced again with dodging attacks. Frisk yelped in surprise when after dodging an attack he found himself right back in the path of the vines again and as he continued to dodge he noticed.

"File 2 saved." Then suddenly he was back in front of the vines again... Flowey was using "saves" in the middle of their fight to try and hit him! He barely managed to keep one step ahead of the vines as the attacks were even more sporadic than before... bones, vines... wait... when did Flowey start throwing STAR projectiles? It didn't matter... they hurt as much as the pellets did as he found out as one slid across one arm as he dodged multiple others before dodging spears and bones from the ground... then fire, more bones... that skull thing... electricity... He nearly cried out in relief at the sound of the alarm... this time the heart was a dark blue. He barely caught his breath before the sound of giant thuds made him think twice and his eyes widened as giant ballerina shoes marched across the room towards him. They weren't too hard to dodge... it just took timing and he had that down pretty well now thanks to all the other attacks Flowey had been tossing at him. Panting, he rolled past another and touched the "act" command that was behind that next shoe. The heart on the screen was replaced by a heart that was between pink and purple. Frisk didn't take too much note as he saw floating green music notes and he hurried to collect them to heal himself before he faced the attacks again. He was getting better and better at dodging the many attacks but, Flowey was giving him less and less time to collect the healing that the souls were presenting him with and his attacks were coming faster, he was also using "saves" more and more often to try and hit Frisk. Dodging the white pellet barrage, Frisk didn't realize until too late just how low his health was as he had sent himself straight into the path of one of those skull things... Oh crap! It was all he had time to think before the thing released its blast and Frisk cried out as his soul shook and then shattered. As the world went dark for him, he could hear a familiar voice ringing out.

"Don't worry! This is all just a bad dream..." In the brief pause, Frisk realized who the voice belonged to as it went on.

"and you're NEVER waking up!" Flowey. Had the last time Frisk had fallen been encouragement from Flowey or someone else? It didn't matter, the monster's laughter rang into Frisk's fading consciousness.

"... We're here because we're rootin' for you. ..." The words sparked through Frisk's soul like a fire as their determination flared up. They couldn't fail... wouldn't let Flowey win and destroy the world... As Frisk began to rise again, he could hear Flowey's voice ring out in gleeful laughter.

"Did you really think I would be satisfied... killing you one time?" So that was it then... they could come back because Flowey wanted to kill them... again... When Frisk opened his eyes he found himself once again facing the abomination that Flowey had become. Frisk dodged the attacks the Flowey had used before, nothing was new... until the alarm sounded. The color of the heart wasn't the light blue he vaguely remembered seeing. Instead it was the same pinkish purple that Frisk remembered had last healed him... how could that be? Unless... Frisk found himself faced with giant notebooks on either side of him that spewed out hateful words; he had no doubt that touching them would result in pain so he dodged them as best he could. What sort of attack was this?! It wasn't like before... could it be that Flowey had simply used the power of "save" to allow Frisk to revive rather than actually resetting to the beginning of the battle itself? Obviously Flowey was in control of the "saves" now, which meant that the "save" they'd done before the throne room had been destroyed... There was no going back. Frisk dodged until he saw the "act" command. He didn't hesitate to hit it despite that he was only down by half... every little bit would help in this fight.

"Please help!" This time the words themselves shook and became green, changing into words of encouragement and the heart on Flowey's screen was now green like the words themselves. The green soul... Frisk hurried to collect what he could, but they didn't stay long enough for him to reach full health before it all disappeared and he was facing Flowey once more. Fire, bones, spears... pellets, spears, the giant laser... the battle was all one big blur mostly as Frisk wasn't able to do much thinking, simply reacting to each threat and dodging as best as he could. Star projectiles, vines... "saves" ... more vines... more projectiles... None of this was what could be called predictable but the more time went on the better Frisk was becoming at keeping out of harm's way though it was far from easy. Especially when Flowey kept loading the saves and trying to impale them with vines... more flies... that wasn't a common attack but it happened. Flowey seemed to be relying most heavily on the powers of Frisk's friends; the boy didn't know why nor did he care to know at this point since it wasn't really relevant. He wasn't going to give in. He wasn't going to just stop though he knew Flowey would eventually get bored of this; he knew he was on borrowed time, which meant he only had so much time to try and learn all of the attacks and to avoid them... to stay alive long enough to get the help he needed to continue the battle; occasionally the "fight" command would pop up and he'd hit it when he could but aside from the sharp cries that Flowey made at times when Frisk got in a hit, it didn't really seem to be doing anything. The alarm sounded none too soon, he was down to 1 HP again... panting and nearly about to fall over. It wasn't over though... he'd have to dodge whatever was about to come next... Were those... frying pans?! Frisk vaguely remembered seeing a frying pan in Hotland... The frying pans floated way above the boy's head, jerking up and down and soon Frisk was running about to dodge white flames that were twice his size. The heat of one was felt when he narrowly escaped being burned only to see the "act" command fall nearby next. Dodging several more flames, he was able to make it over to the thing and hit it.

"Help... please... I can't do this alone!" The flames disappeared, the heart on the screen was yellow as the flames had turned into green pastries. Frisk gathered them up as fast as he could, getting faster as he gained full health again. He was ready to take on Flowey once more when they faded away. Flowey's attacks came faster this time and dodging was really becoming tricker and tricker by the passing moment. Was this the Flower's response to the souls healing him? No way to know, Flowey didn't seem keen on talking and there was no way to reach the "act" command except when it appeared. This whole thing was one chaotic mess that seemed to go on forever. Electricity ran through him and he yelped as it did, his health almost gone again in that instant and he found himself dodging two... three... was it four of those skulls? He cried out as a spear slammed into him and his soul shattered yet again... How many times? Frisk had lost count now... each time he came back Flowey had some new taunt for him. Each time the attacks seemed to be faster and the "fight" command was almost nowhere to be seen... but Frisk didn't give in for a moment. They're counting on me. It was all he could think as he rose yet again to face the monster who was no longer just a mere monster anymore. Calling Flowey a monster at this point seemed like an insult to his friends. He only had the faintest of curiosities about whether or not Alphys could see this fight... watched as Frisk was killed... over and over and over again... Each time though Frisk got faster, was able to anticipate each attack more and more; Flowey couldn't continue this much longer or he'd become predictable... Frisk was certain that his opponent knew this and wouldn't just spend eternity killing him over and over... but would eventually stop and that would be when Frisk's time ran out... because dying then would mean eternal defeat and that Flowey would move on to show humans the meaning of his view of what the true meaning of the world was... "kill or be killed." Flowey would leave the monsters to stay Underground if they were lucky, if not... they'd fall prey too to him as they had countless times before he had grown bored of killing them. It had been some time line that Flowey had mentioned that... when exactly Frisk wasn't sure but it didn't matter did it? None of it did. All that mattered was him getting the best of Flowey just one time... The alarm sounded, finally he'd made it to another... this time the heart was yellow. He nearly yelped when he found himself face to face with THE biggest gun he'd ever laid eyes on! Frisk noticed it taking aim on the ground and scrambled to get out of the line of fire but it was tough to do so, even tougher still to stay one step ahead of the bullets that were rapidly being fired all over the place. Eventually it spat out the "act" command and he hit it.

"Help!" The bullets turned into four leaf clovers and the heart on the screen that had replaced the yellow was the light blue. It was tough to snag the clovers before they disappeared... almost impossible really, but Frisk managed to grab a few and felt better for it. Suddenly all of the other souls appeared around him in a ring and he glanced around, shaking a little until he saw the healing items appeared before him and he began to gather them up in earnest. The souls were revolting and help him! They didn't want Flowey to escape into the human world anymore than he did!

"You have to help my friends too! Please! Help us defeat them!" He cried to the souls even as they faded and he faced Flowey once more at full health. Flowey didn't hesitate, neither did Frisk; the battle continued, but Frisk began noticing a difference; Flowey cried out more often when struck and wasn't using the power of the other monsters against him like he had been before... he was down to using the star projectiles, the large laser from the mouth, flies, vines and pellets. Frisk took this as a good sign and attacked with renewed vigor, dodging what he could and it was after he sustained a blow from some vines that he saw the healing items that floated out of the mouth... He snagged one and continued the fight, periodically snagging the health items that continued to pour from the mouth every now and then to keep his health up as Flowey began looking more and more strained as the battle continued; the attacks no where near as fast as they had been before and easier to dodge. That didn't last long though before they began picking up again and Frisk could only wonder if Flowey was beginning to panic. Another blow and then the abomination froze. No more attacks.

"No... NO! This CAN'T be happening!" He began shaking as Frisk stood, panting a little. Was it over now or...?

"You... YOU..." There was the sound of something like a bell.

"You idiot." I knew it was too good to be- Frisk cried out, slammed by the laser from the mouth, the pain of their soul shattering racking through him. Then he loaded again, yanking Frisk back from death only to impale him with vines, shattering his soul again. Flowey used alternate attacks, each time yanking Frisk back from death only to be killed again and again and again... Frisk lost count how many times Flowey did this before the other finally stopped to speak again. By that time, Frisk was shaking from the pain. Stop... stop! I have to make this STOOOOP! He didn't utter a single word of that or even scream, the pain was eating at him. He had one health point left now... Barely hanging on to sanity through the agony of being repeatedly killed, and hanging on to life... it was all he could do to not collapse in front of this thing as pellets appeared around in a ring. He knew what was coming... this was the final death. He was almost sure of it and all that effort to learn the attacks and predict them seemed to be a waste now... How could this power be stopped? Flowey laughed.

"Did you really think you could defeat me?! I am the GOD of this world. And you? You're hopeless. Hopeless and alone..." Frisk flinched, reminded painfully of why he had climbed the mountain in the first place... He'd been a coward... running away... but thinking back on it now... staring into the face of the creature that was his tormentor... his doom... He didn't regret it. Not a single moment of it. No... being here... meeting all those monsters... my friends... it was the best thing that could have happened to me. Guys... I won't give up... ever... I will find a way... somehow... Frisk fought through the pain. He had to endure... had to somehow survive this final blow so that he could stop the so-called-God before him. The eyes on the screen flickered and Flowey, as Frisk remembered first meeting him as, appeared in their place. He even sounded as he had before... friendly...

"Golly, that's right! Your WORTHLESS friends can't save you now. Call for help... I DARE you. Cry into the darkness! "Mommy! Daddy! Somebody help!" See what good it does you!" The "act" command appeared once more before Frisk. He didn't hesitate, he reached out and touched it.

"I know you guys are there... please... help if you can... don't give up on me. I haven't given up on you... I want to free you all... all monsters. You deserve to be free! Help me now! Help me stop him!" Frisk fell silent then. Everything was still, the wind did not howl, there was nothing save Frisk's breathing... no footsteps... no hearts... the two simply waited a moment. Then two. Three. Four. A satisfied smile graced the "flower's" face now.

"But nobody came." Could they no longer help? Frisk wondered now if the souls that had helped him before had been pushed to their limits... just as he was now.

"Boy! What a shame!" Was that pity?

"Nobody else..." The flower disappeared from the screen to shift back to those red eyes again.

"Is gonna see you DIE!" He laughed as the pellets closed in; Frisk braced himself for yet another death at the hands of this thing... eyes closed tight... but it didn't come. After a couple of confused seconds he opened his eyes, he was back at full health and Flowey was staring at him. What had just happened? Had the call for help not been in vain after all?

"What? How'd you... ? The red eyes were now wide in surprise.

"Well, then I'll just-" Text popped up... Load Failed. Failed? What was going on here?! How was this possible?

"Fine... if I can't do that I'll just have to-" Again Flowey cut off before crying out as the vine appendages were suddenly impaled with bones and spears.

"Wh... where are my powers?! What is happening?!" Suddenly they appeared, the human souls and right along with them seemed to be the monster souls that glowed white with faint traces of the other souls intermixed with them.

"The souls...?" Frisk's eyes widened in surprised delight. His friends! They were fighting back! Somehow, beyond what Frisk had read about monster souls before, they were revolting against Flowey's control.

"What are they doing?" He stared at them in dumbfounded fear now as they began spinning around him, faster and faster.

"No! NO! You can't do that! You're supposed to obey me! STOP! STOP IT!" Flowey's form had begun to flash a rainbow of colors as the souls fought against his control and took back their freedom from him.

"STTOOOOOOOOOPPPPPP!"It was the last thing Frisk heard before there was a brilliant flash of white light, forcing him to shield his eyes against it. Even that didn't fully negate it, but it only lasted a brief moment and once it had faded, he opened his eyes again; it was a moment before his vision recovered fully. Frisk found he wasn't alone anymore. Sans, Papyrus, Mettaton, Undyne and Toriel were standing behind him. On the far side of the room was the prone figure Frisk knew was Chara. Chara didn't rise or even move, but Frisk could see her breathing and knew she was alive still. He turned his gaze from her to the near-wilted flower that sat in the middle of the room, head bowed, petals torn as if someone had cut into them viciously and Frisk winced a little as he moved forward slowly. He knelt in front of the flower and two commands appeared... "fight" and "mercy." Frisk automatically reached for the "mercy" one and touched it, barely aware his friends were looking on; watching his actions now. Flowey turned his head slightly to look at Frisk.

"What are you doing? Do you really think I've learned anything from this? No." He turned away, as if waiting again for the blow that hadn't come. Again the commands appeared, again Frisk choose mercy. He glanced over again.

"Sparing me won't change anything. Killing me is the only way to end this." Again the commands came up.

"No." Frisk replied and hit the mercy choice again. Flowey shifted a bit more to look straight at Frisk now, still bent to one side, a crazed smile on his torn face.

"If you let me live..." He straightened now.

"I'll come back." Again the choices, but Frisk chose to spare him still.

"I'll kill you."

"So what?" Frisk hit the mercy again. His expression became even more crazed... if that were really possible at this point.

"I'll kill everyone." Frisk doubted that at this point and again chose to spare him. His smile grew, just making him that much more creepier... as he went on.

"I'll kill everyone you love."

"I don't think you have that power anymore." Frisk replied, sparing Flowey again. He didn't say anything more but the choices appeared again. Frisk wasn't giving in to the quiet voice that was whispering softly to his mind. A voice he knew was Chara because this whole time Chara, the one from this timeline, had always been with him since the very start. Now they were speaking.

"He's right you know. He'll come back and just cause more trouble."

I know, Chara. Believe me, but... he's just a big bully who needs someone to care about him... just like the monsters here cared about me. No one here really even knows he exists... the REAL him.

"So you looked through my memories did you?"

Sort of. During one of the deaths I caught glimpses of your memories and I know who he is... I have to give him a chance. I haven't forgotten the nightmares. Chara fell silent then as he continued to hit "mercy" every time it came up and slowly the smile on the flower's face disappeared. He seemed angry with that one.

"Why?" It was almost a demand even as Frisk hit "mercy" again.

"... Why are you being..." The anger disappeared when Frisk hit it again.

"... so nice to me?" His expression became one of anguished sorrow with the next hit.

"I can't understand."

"I can't understand." He repeated, as if saying so would make Frisk change his mind. It didn't and the flower's expression was more anguished than before.

"I just can't understand..." He said, it was almost sorrowful and even as Frisk opened his mouth to reply Flowey dropped into the dirt below him, leaving Frisk alone with his friends and Chara, who had finally begun to move.

{ **A/N: Feel free to make artwork of this or even a battle sim. but give me credit if you do! This battle sequence and this version of Flowey are from my imagination! Flowey himself, of course, and all of Undertale belongs to Toby. Don't abuse this permission I have given you!** }


	19. 18: Chara

A sigh escaped and Frisk began to stand. This wasn't over just yet. There was still the matter of Chara, the Chara who had some how managed to come here from the other timeline. She stood up slowly.

"Well... have to say, that's the first time in a long while I've ever seen anyone leave that idiot speechless."

"He's not an idiot."

"Oh?" Frisk didn't rise to the bait.

"Then what do you call all that just now?" She motioned to the spot before where the flower had been.

"Child, what is she talking about?" Toriel asked.

"Tch... figures, they don't remember a thing." Frisk looked over at his friends, the king; Asgore, was among them too but he didn't seem inclined to speak though he seemed worried as Troiel was.

"You guys... don't remember?"

"Remember what kiddo?"

"YES, I TOO AM STUMPED ON THIS HUMAN. WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"

"Come now darling, do tell." Mettaton put in and Frisk nearly sighed while Chara snickered.

"See? Seems their reliance on magic seems to have put them at a disadvantage here." Frisk didn't comment to that but he did turn back to Chara.

"You remember though... you even helped, didn't you?" Chara was silent.

"You knew what he was doing was wrong."

"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm still going to-"

"Stop Chara." Frisk cut in before the other could speak.

"You don't get it do you? I'm NOT like that weak fool!"

"No, you're not like him. You never were, but that doesn't mean this is who you are either."

"You're one to talk. Don't forget, I KNOW everything about you Frisk. About your family... about why you climbed that stupid mountain."

"I could say the same for you." Chara jolted.

"You... how?!"

"You told me."

"Just why would I do THAT?!"

"Because you've come to trust me, just as I trust you." Chara stared, shock in her eyes.

"Y-you..." The hand that clutched their knife trembled a little.

"Chara... this isn't you. I've seen it. Seen the memories... with you and Asriel." Chara's eyes got bigger as did Toriel's.

"Child... h-how do you...?" The question hung in the air from Toriel, whose voice wavered. The others looked at her and each other in shared concern as she stared at Frisk who didn't answer.

"You didn't want to kill him. You wanted to save him. You knew this was unfair. That humans had been unjust towards monsters and that someone like him shouldn't have to suffer living in a place like this. That he should know what real stars looked like... should know the feeling of sunlight on his face. Everything you ever did, however misguided... was because you wanted him to be free. Free to choose where to live, to have what you didn't... happiness."

"Are those... tears?" Undyne asked quietly as the group now stared at Chara, ready to act if need be as Chara slowly moved towards Frisk. Not saying a word now, but not raising the knife either though their fingers were white as they clutched the blade.

"After all," Frisk continued.

"Someone who had everything you had always wanted... who didn't know how cruel the world could really be... didn't he deserve to have the one thing that was beyond his reach because of that cruelty? You aren't a demon Chara. You aren't what you have forced yourself to become through this. Fighting isn't always the answer, neither is killing."

"I... don't understand..."

"Violence only ends one way, in death. It can only hurt. It can't really truly help. A- Flowey couldn't understand that because he has lost the way without a soul. He's not who he was, but that doesn't mean he has to be cruel. He once told you, did he not, that he could be kind? Did he not use the "save" power to do so much good in the beginning? You can do the same you know. All this time, you've just been trying to help me the only way you knew how." Tears slowly began building.

"I don't want to fight you. You've helped me so much, I want to return the favor to you... if you will let me help you, friend. Sister." Tears flowed.

"I... he... he hates me..."

"No, I don't think so. He loved you so much that he did what you asked, even when it hurt him to do so." The group could only watch as Chara lunged forward, but the knife clattered to the floor as she clung to Frisk who wrapped his arms around her. It was really odd to see this, since they looked so much alike. She quietly sobbed against him and the others slowly moved towards the two once Chara had pulled back and began wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Thank you... Frisk." He just smiled in return and looked over to his friends who seemed a bit wary now, but Chara didn't blame them.

"I... I'm sorry everyone... I..." What could she say? Sans wasn't sure they should trust her, after all hadn't she just proved she was just as insane as that flower that had left moments before? Still, there was something in how she wouldn't meet anyone's gaze... how there seemed to be such sorrow in the way she stood that he was inclined to believe she was telling the truth. She really was sorry. Papyrus, much to San's concern, was the first to walk over to Chara and kneel down to the two.  
"Well, as I've always believed. Even the worst person can change." Chara gave him a weak smile.

"Thanks Paps." She hugged him and soon enough Toriel was doing the same, Undyne had ruffled the child's hair and Mettaton had also given the child a hug. After a moment Chara pulled back, giving them all a small smile.  
"Thank you... everyone... now I can finally move on. I can rest in peace." That silenced everyone as they just stared at the child before them who seemed to be wavering before their eyes.  
"I'm sorry I wasn't a better child, mom... take care of Frisk." Papyrus stepped forward but Chara only smiled at the wide-eyed skeleton as they finally faded away much as a ghost did. Leaving no trace that they had ever been there.

"I AM... CONFUSED... WHY DID THEY?!" Papyrus was a little teary eyed and Frisk hugged him.

"Well, I guess it's a bit complicated but the best way to put it is that Chara really didn't belong here. She passed from this life years ago."

"THEN HOW DID SHE HAVE A PHYSICAL FORM?"

"Well, when she first came here she entered me. That was just a different me I guess you could say and, after all that she did to that time line... killing everyone, I guess she fully took over and I just sort of vanished myself."

"My child, what did Chara mean by taking care of you?" Frisk just smiled a little and shook his head.

"It's nothing." Sans caught the kid's eye and he knew it was something the child might tell him one day, but wasn't about to just blurt out. He smiled a little and held up his hands.

"Guess that's that then eh?"

"Shall we all have some tea?" Asgore offered.

"That sounds great about now." Everyone followed him from the barrier to his home for a cup of tea.

"So, what now? The barrier is still up, but you can go on through can't you?" Undyne asked.

"I think so."

"What do you mean you think so?" She asked, everyone was looking at Frisk.

"My final words with Alphys were about it. She said she'd lied... that I'd have to kill Asgore to actually pass through the barrier. That I needed a monster's soul." No one said anything, but he shook his head.  
"I couldn't do that though. Besides I'm not sure if that in itself is true. I mean, she deceived with Mettaton in hopes that I'd like her. Which I do, don't get me wrong, but she didn't have to lie to me. Though honestly I sort of suspected it by the end there because things were just a little too convenient sometimes, I had a lot of fun though." Mettaton smiled.

"That's a relief to hear you say that, darling. Alphys means well but, well..."

"I know. She just wanted a friend and I think she felt bad about deceiving me. I don't think I can bring down the barrier without her help though." The others nodded a little. Sans didn't like the way the kid was staring at the empty cup in their hands. Something told him he knew what the kid was thinking.

"Why don't you and me take a walk kiddo." Frisk nodded, finishing the tea.

"Thanks for the tea." Sans followed him out of Asgore's home while the others glanced at each other. Sans obviously wasn't saying something and they all seemed to know it, except Papyrus who just smiled at the two.

"HAVE FUN!" He'd waved them off like the innocent he was.

"I know a shortcut."

"Don't you always?" Sans simply smiled at this and held out his hand. Frisk took it and felt the familiar sensation of brief disorientation as things faded around the two of them then reversed to show that they were now in Waterfall. Frisk walked to the edge of the pond and sat down, staring down into their reflection.

"So, you're going to reset then." It wasn't a question.

"I missed something. Alphys wasn't there with everyone else... She didn't think we were friends. I have to go back for her. Like I said. I can't break the barrier without her."

"How do you know this?"

"Is it really that important?"

"Guess not, but still. You did the impossible kiddo. Twice, if I'm not mistaken."

"So you remember then."

"About the nightmares being real? How they aren't just nightmares?" Sans asked, Frisk nodded, slumping a little.

"Yeah. I do. I didn't want to say anything around the others, Papyrus especially. I don't think he'd understand how you have this power... hell kid. I don't even understand how you do myself. I just know you can. It takes a lot of guts, beating Chara back like you did and changing everything to what it is now. To doing what was right. Even when you knew you'd screwed up that bad. Honestly, I don't know that I could have done what you've done if I could go back and do things over."

"Yeah... it's not who you are. You'd probably have just dunked Flowey if you could have."

"Heh... probably so." The two were silent a long time.

"What Chara said to you... it's about why you came here, isn't it?"

"Yeah." A longer bit of silence, Sans didn't think Frisk would tell him this time, but just when he was about to suggest they head back, the child spoke.

"I'm not as young as I look."

"Eh?"

"I'm not really a kid. I have a disease called it's when someone doesn't physically age. There's no cure for it, scientists have been studying it for many decades now; it's a very rare disease. It's a mutation of some vital cells. Those who have it don't live long enough to reproduce and simply can't because their physical body hasn't matured enough." Sans was shocked into silence.

"Truth is, I've been waiting for my death for a long time. Most don't live past the age of thirteen."

"How old are you then... really?" He almost stuttered through the words, shellshocked that the child in front of him was not a child... but that explained so much... like how cold he had been the first time they had met... How Frisk just didn't seem to care to get close to anyone or really care about anything at all really. There was another long silence.

"The day that I fell down here... I was "celebrating" my twenty-seventh birthday. Thing is... the oldest known living person was only twenty-nine. I came down here because I was sick of all the tests... I was sick of being treated like I was going to die the next day... even though I knew it was likely... So I ran. I had nothing to lose."

"What about your family?"

"I'm an orphan. No one knows who my parents are. I was just found on the doorsteps of a local orphanage one day. I never really had a normal childhood... but coming here... it allowed me to pretend to... at least for a little while. Please... don't tell the others until after."

"That's a tall order kid... Really, but... it also explains a lot." He seemed to hesitate before sighing.

"I won't tell the others. I guess now all the resets make sense... you're just reliving everything you can aren't you? Making as many memories as possible."

"Yeah. After the first run... I felt horrible... That's why I spared you. I realized I'd become a monster at some point from all that time I'd spent being tested on and not having anyone treat me normally... I didn't really have any friends with those my age or those who even looked my age. Everyone only seemed to feel sorry for me and kids... well, they didn't mind too much but it was just too weird for them to try and get close to someone who had lived so long but hadn't aged."

"How long have you been here kid?"

"Almost a full year now I think. I'm not sure. I've faced Flowey so many times..."

"Well, you're a darned good actor kid... I never guessed it, except beyond the times that you seemed like you were bored with something. Though it never lasted long."

"Yeah... I tried to hide it with things that I knew about. Things I'd repeated enough times to be bored with them. One thing didn't change though, even when I did various things after that first run."

"What's that kid?"

"I wanted to be friends with you. You were the only one who noticed the changes." Sans nodded.

"Vaguely."

"I'm sorry about the nightmares."

"Forget it kiddo. It's not a big deal." There was silence between the two of them again.

"When do you plan to reset?"

"When I get back to a "save point" again."

"There's one not far from here."

"Yeah." Neither said anything for the longest time and Frisk didn't get up to head for the "save point" that was in the next room. They both knew it was there.

"I'm with you kid. Whatever you decide."

"I'm not going that far back... and without Chara... things will go differently."

"You really think they moved on?" Frisk nodded.

"Chara was never really the silent type. Constantly making her opinions known on everything, if she were here right now she'd have said at least half a dozen things to me now about everything we've just talked about. She's finally at peace." Sans had no words for that and Frisk stood up.

"You know... I might not remember this conversation we just had."

"Yeah, I know."

"Will you ever tell me again?"

"About all of that? Maybe, but maybe I won't have to. If you remember Sans, just tell me something. Like your code words."

"What should I say?" Sans looked nervous and Frisk smiled.

"Don't worry, it's nothing like your codewords."

"I donno if I should be relieved or worried."

"Don't worry, it won't seem odd for you to say this. After all, it's in your nature."


	20. 19: Loading a New Path

Frisk stared at the Throne Room's entrance, nothing seemed to have changed but instead of going forward, Frisk turned from the entrance and headed back the way he'd come. There had to be something he could do to change events. Of course, with Chara gone as well things wouldn't be exactly the same would they? Asgore was likely waiting for him in the throne room, but he wasn't ready for that yet. There was still something that needed to be done. So he headed back to the elevator that would take him to the first floor of the Core. It took him less time to get there now that the elevator was working and he wasn't being stopped constantly by monsters hired by Mettaton, or deal with Mettaton himself. He decided that the best way to start would be to talk to Alphys, but that meant going all the way back through Hotland. It was just as he was about to get to MTT Resort again that his phone rang, startling him from his thoughts. Who could be calling? He picked it up, as always.

"Hey! Uh... this is Undyne..." Why was she calling? Before he could ask he heard someone say something he couldn't make out and the her hushed hiss back.

"Shut up Papyrus! This was YOUR idea!" _Papyrus is involved? This should be good..._

"HUMAN!" Frisk nearly jumped at the yell.

"You have to deliver something for me! Uh, please?"

"Sure."

"I'm at Snowdin, in front of Papyrus'. See ya, punk!" Click. What could it be and where had Papyrus come up with an idea that seemed to make Undyne a little nervous? Was this Flowey's doing? He dismissed the thought as he walked through the hotel and took the straight path down. Passing by Alphys' lab on the way, much as he considered going and knocking on the lab door, he had said he'd deliver something for Undyne so Alphys would have to wait, for now. The River Person was waiting for him as he expected.

"Tra la la. Care for a ride."

"Please, to Snowdin."

"Then we're off."

"Tra la la. The waters are wild today, that's good luck." Frisk didn't comment. Not really interested too much in that.

"Come again some time. Tra la la." Frisk offered them a smile, who or what the River Person was, was a mystery but not one that was really nagging on him just then; he had an objective and his mind was also on what he would do if Flowey appeared again. He knew already, thanks to Chara, that Flowey wasn't what he appeared to be, that he had a direct connection to Asriel, but what that connection was Chara had not said nor did she seem to know. Considering what Chara had said about Alphys, however, Frisk had put together that it was likely that Flowey was the former prince, Asriel. Chara's brother and best friend in the Underground. Nothing had really changed since he had last been in the cold town. It wasn't long before he made his way past the usual inhabitants and found that Undyne was waiting in front of the house with Papyrus. Where Sans was, he could only guess really. Frisk didn't get a chance to say anything before Undyne spoke up.

"Um, so I have a favor to ask you. Uuuuuuh, I need you to deliver this letter. To Dr. Alphys."

"Why me? Why don't you do it yourself?"

"Huh?! Why don't I do it myself...?" Undyne began to blush and Frisk began to get the picture.

"... Um. W-well... It's kind of personal, but we're friends... so I'll t-tell you... Hotland SUUUUCKS! I don't want to have to go over there!" _Oh, right... she can't stand the heat._

"So, here you go." She handed him a letter.

"Oh, and if you read it... I'll KILL you." _Yikes!_

"Thanks so much! You're the best!" Frisk headed back to where the River Person would be waiting. It was, as always, a short trip to Hotland. With a quick thanks, he got off the boat and headed straight for Alphys' lab, which was his original destination anyway. He had meant to talk with her after all. The letter was now just an excuse to go there. It wasn't until he reached the lab that he realized something rather crucial... there was no mail slot. Okay, so how was he going to deliver this? The doors were locked instead of sliding open as they had when he'd first approached the lab, which meant she was probably asleep or something; whatever the reason, this posed a unique problem. Wait, was that crack beneath the door big enough? Yup. The letter easily slid underneath and he knocked. There was the sound of shuffling inside and a muffled, quiet voice that he knew to belong to Alphys. She obviously wasn't asleep, at least not yet, would she open the door? After a moment and the sound of footsteps, the doors slid open, Alphys standing in the entrance.

"Hey, if this is a joke, it's..." She began then looked up and saw him. Her eyes widened immediately. Had she been expecting someone else?

"Oh my god? Did you write this letter?" She seemed very nervous all of the sudden, what **had** been in that letter?

"It wasn't signed, so I had no idea who could have..." _Undyne... really?!_ He nearly groaned, well, he'd play along for now and see what would happen. He wasn't going to purposely deceive her after all.

"Oh my god. Oh no. That's adorable." Adorable? Well, okay then, she didn't entirely the wrong impression then.

"And I h-had no idea you, um, wrote that way! It's surprising, too... After all the gross stuff I did..." She paused a moment, as if to gather her thoughts; Frisk wondered what she was talking about. Gross stuff? Well, yes she had tried deceiving him, but considering what he knew of her so far, he didn't blame her. He knew a few people who were like her, who had been called nerds and were often picked on because of it. He'd done his best to help them, but more often than not they'd just dismissed him because he looked like a kid.

"I don't really deserve to be forgiven. Much less, um..." She blushed. Well crap, he hoped she didn't take this too far, but as he thought about it he considered it wouldn't hurt for her to assume he'd wrote that letter. Perhaps it would help her self-esteem and help her get the courage to go out with the one monster she really was in love with. There was no harm in this, was there? Well, as long as it didn't go too far anyway.

"This. And so passionately too." There was a moment of silence.

"You know what, okay! I'll do it!" Do what exactly?

"It's the least I can do to make it up to you!" _Uhhhh..._

"Y-yeah! Let's go on a date!" Frisk almost sighed in relief. Okay, that he could handle. Much like he remembered with Papyrus, there was that tugging sensation similar to when pulled into a battle, but of course no fighting would be involved. He ignored the text that popped up nearby that read "dating start...?" He didn't see Alphys now, she'd retreated back into the lab for a moment.

"Uhhh, sorry! I'm still getting dressed!" After a moment she came out in a deep blue dress that sparkled like diamonds.

"H-how do I look?" Frisk smiled.

"Beautiful." She blushed.

"My friend helped me pick out this dress. She's got a great sense of... Um, anyway! Let's do this thing!" Again the text appeared, "dating start."

"H-h-hey, w-w-wait! Actually, we still can't start the date yet!"

"Why not?" He asked as the text popped up "dating... stop?" He ignored it, it wasn't relevant anymore though it had been how Chara had pointed some things out when she was too tired or weak to speak to him directly. It made him wonder, he'd given peace to the Chara from the other timeline... but what about his Chara? Was she still with him? Was that why he continued to see the floating text? He brushed it aside, if that was true it would be something he would deal with later.

"Ummm, I've got to give you items to raise your affection statistic, first!" Raise his... what? That was really a thing? Well, okay then.

"That'll increase the chance of a successful outcome to the date!" He wasn't so sure about that, but he wasn't about to argue, this was for her sake after all.

"Right...? Anyway, d-don't worry! I'm prepared! I-i've been stockpiling gifts in anticipation for a date like this! F-first I've got... some metal armor polish!" She brought out the bottle of polish, looked at it then at him.

"Um, maybe you can't use that." _Maybe it would be useful on the Temmie Armor._ He didn't say so though as she put it away and brought out a different bottle.

"But! I also brought some waterproof cream for your scales! Your, uh... scales..." Yeah, it was obvious she was only prepared for a date with one person... or in this case, one monster. She put it away.

"Uh, well, how about this..." She pulled out a box this time from the dimensional box she had, at least he was sure by this point that was where she kept these things.

"This magic spear repair kit, that I... uh." Frisk was doing his best to keep a straight face. This was too priceless, but he didn't want to embarrass her any more than she already was. She put it away.

"Hey, let's forget about the items!"

"Fine by me."

"Let's just start the date!" He nods. Again the words appeared off to the side of his vision. 'Dating! Start!' That was different. It made him wonder if perhaps Chara was still hanging about, it sort of worried him because he knew real life didn't come with dialogue like that. He'd dealt with Chara, hadn't he? Or was it only that other timeline's Chara? He'd worry about that later, he didn't want to worry Alphys, after all, with something she didn't know about and everyone but Sans had no memory of happening.

"Yeah! Let's, uh, date!" There was a moment of awkward silence, she seemed to become nervous or at least Frisk thought of it as that considering the way she was sweating a bit more than normal.

"... Uh... Do you... Like... anime?"

"Yes, of course! It's the best!" She smiled, seeming relieved at the answer.

"H-hey! Me too!"

"Cool."

"Hey! Let's... go somewhere!"

"Okay, where do you want to go?"

"Oh... well... um... where is a good place to go on a date?" She seemed to be talking to herself as she stared at her feet. Surely she wasn't asking him was she? Especially since she thought he was just a child. She looked up with a smile.

"I've got it! Let's go to the garbage dump!" _Seriously? That's her_ idea _of a date? Well... guess it could be worse. Not that I have much to compare it to..._ Frisk was reminded of his "date" with Papyrus. It was a little odd, he had to admit to himself, to be going on a pity date where he wasn't the one being pitied. He followed her from her lab in Hotland back to the garbage dump in Waterfall. Oddly enough, there was a trash can where Alphys had led them, was this trash can trash too or just here just because? It did seem a bit out of place.

"Here we are! This is where Undyne and I come all the time..." _So... why bring me here?_

"We find all sorts of great stuff here." So... her idea of a date was garbage diving then?

"Heh... she's really... Uh ..." She glanced away.

"Oh no. That's her over there. I c-can't let her see me on a date with you!"

"Why not?"

"Why? ... Because, uh... Well..." Frisk waited patiently for her to explain, did she not get the concept of making her crush jealous?

"Oh no, here she comes!" Before he could say anything, Alphys hid behind the trash can; with an inward sigh, he turned with a smile.

"Hey! There you are!"

"Were you looking for me?"

"Yeah. I, uh, realized if you deliver that thing... it might be a bad idea." _Well, too late for that._

"So I'm gonna do it! Give it to me!"

"Sorry, but I don't have it. I already delivered it."

"Huh?! You don't have it?! Ngggaaahhh!" _With Alphys nearby... maybe she'll come out after she's heard all this..._

"Have you at least seen her?"  
"Yeah."

"Yes? So she's somewhere around here..." Frisk nodded, his gaze flickering to where Alphys was hiding, but Undyne either didn't notice or didn't get the subtle hint; which of the two it was Frisk wasn't sure as she spoke.

"Thanks. I'll keep looking." Before he could rat out Alphys' hiding spot, Undyne had strode away. Frisk fumed a little, what was it going to take to get these two together?! Alphys came out of hiding moments later.

"Oh my god. W... well, I guess it's obvious, huh?" He nodded though she didn't notice because she was looking at her feet again.

"I... uh... I really like her." _Classic nerd attracted to the jock..._

"I mean, more than other monsters!" He nods as she had looked up to see if he was paying attention... or more than likely had to reassure him of what she meant.

"I'm sorry. I j-just figured, y-you know... it'd be fun to go on like, a cute, kind of... pretend date with you? T-to make you feel better." _To make me feel better?_

"Well, it sounds ever worse when I put it like that. I'm sorry. I messed up again." _Again?_

"Undyne's the per- monster I um... really want to go on a date with."

"So why don't you?"

"Um, well... She's way out of my league." Her eyes widened a little when she realized what she'd said.

"N-not that you aren't, um, cool! But... Undyne..."

"Why would you think that?"

"She's so confident... and strong... and funny... And I'm just a nobody." Frisk raised his eyebrows a little at that. The Royal Scientist thought _she_ was a nobody?!

"A fraud." _Fraud?_ Well, yes Alphys had led Frisk on before, but that didn't make her a fraud... what could she have done to deserve that sort of label?

"I'm the royal scientist, but... all I've ever done is hurt monsters." Frisk frowned thoughtfully, this obviously had something to do with her past; something he didn't yet know about her. When he didn't say anything she continued.

"I've told her so many lies, she thinks I'm..." She glanced up, but by that time Frisk had controlled his expression again.

"She thinks I'm a lot cooler than I actually am. If she gets close to me, then she'll... She'll find out the truth about me. ... What should I do?"

"Tell her the truth." Firsk was pretty sure that Undyne wouldn't care. The fact that she was asking him for advice worried him a bit because it meant one of two things... either she needed serious help, if she still thought he was a kid, or... she knew more about him than he realized. Had she put together that he wasn't a child? There was a long moment of silence between them and after a moment Frisk realized that he simply couldn't not answer her. Regardless of the reason she had for asking him, he would tell her the truth of what he thought; after all, she was his friend.

"Tell her the truth."


	21. 20: True Laboratory

Judging by her reaction, he was pretty sure that wasn't what she was hoping to hear from him.

"The truth...? But if I tell her that, she'll hate me. Isn't it better this way? To live a lie where both people are happy... or a truth where neither of us are?" Frisk shook his head.

"No one can truly be happy living as something they aren't." She looked at the ground.

"They say 'be yourself' but I don't really like who 'myself' is. I'd rather just be whatever makes others like me." _Oh man... she really is far gone on this..._ He'd known someone in the same hospital that he'd been in who had been the same way. He'd seen how she'd struggled in front of doctors and nurses... even her own family to be so chipper... but he'd gotten to know her because she was like him. She was even younger too, just a teenager really, and he'd heard her quiet sobbing in the evenings when she thought he was asleep... had seen the look in her eyes when she thought no one was looking. Right up until the day she had died, she had played a lie... and he had never seen someone look ever so tired as she had the very last day he'd seen her...

" _So, you're never going to tell them the truth huh?"_

" _Why bother? I'm not like you Frisk, I don't have the strength of will you do. You don't even have family... how have you hung on for so long?"_

" _What else am I to do? I am what I am. Nothing changes that."_

" _I wish I had your optimism. I hope that, for your sake... someone finds a cure. The world needs people like you."_ He shook the memory away, trying to focus on Alphys. She gave him an uncertain smile.

"No. It's not right to. I can understand how hard it is to be yourself. To be who... what you are, but you have friends here who care about you. Others who want to see you happy, but it's not easy to see that is it? Still, you have been surrounded by those who care about you since you were born. I'll let you in on something I have only told one other monster. I'm an orphan." Her eyes widened at that.

"I was found on the steps of a local orphanage when was just a couple years old. Whoever my parents were, they either couldn't take care of me or couldn't stand the sight of me. Whatever their reason, I didn't know the love of a family. I grew up with six other children, none of who got close to me when it became obvious that I wasn't like them. That I was... different. Children, can be the most accepting at times... but they can also be the most cruelest of beings. I don't know what sort of life you've lived, but I believe that you have to take chances where you can. Take risks for the right reason and love... well, it's probably one of the biggest risks out there. It's also one of the most rewarding." There was a moment of silence before she nodded.

"You're right. Every day... I'm scared... Scared of what will happen if others learn the truth on their own. They'll all get hurt because of me... But how can I tell UNDYNE the tr... truth? I d-don't have the confidence... I'm going to mess it up! How can I practice?!"

"Let's role play it. You can practice with me."

"R... role play? ... That actually sounds kind of fun!" _Guess they don't have role playing games down here..._

"Ok, which one of us will be Undyne?"  
"I'll be Undyne."

"Oh. Right. Obviously." He just smiled at her. She cleared her throat.

"H-hi Undyne... H-how are you doing today?"

"I'm fine."

"Ha! Ha! Glad to hear it! ... Uh, so I'd like to, um, to talk to you about something."

"What is it Alphys?"

"Um... you see... I... I... I..." Her next words were just blurted out.

"I h-haven't been exactly truthful w-w-with you..." Frisk waited patiently for her to continue, after all this was the first time and didn't practice make perfect?

"Y... you see, I... I... Oh, forget it! Undyne! I... I want to tell you how I feel!" _Um, okay... this is faster than I thought she'd take it..._

"Y-you're so brave... a-and s-strong... a-and nice... Y-you always listen to me when I talk about n-n-nerdy stuff... Y-you always d-d-do your best to m-make me f-f-feel special... L-like t-telling me that y-you'll beat up anyone that g-gets in my way..." She began shaking.

"UNDYNE! I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANY LONGER!" Why was she shouting now? Oh dear... if Undyne was still in the area looking for Alphys... well, maybe this was for the best...

"I'M MADLY IN LOVE WITH YOU! HOLD ME, UNDYNE! HOLD ME!" Just as Frisk had thought would happen, moments later Undyne appeared with a rather shocked look on her face.

"WHAT did you just say?" Alphys' euphorium suddenly seemed to dissolve into nervousness as she took a step back.

"U... Undyne! I... was... just..." Undyne glanced from her to him and then back again.

"Hey, woah, wait a second! Your outfit's really cute! What's' the occasion?" Before Alphys could think up an answer, whether it was going to be the truth or another lie, it seemed to suddenly click for the royal guard.

"Wait a second. Are you two... on a date?"

"UHHH, YES!" Frisk hadn't expected her to admit that, but maybe she was tired of lying...

"I mean, UHHH NO! I mean, we were, but I mean, actually we were only romantically role playing as you!"

"WHAT?" _Oh Alphys... that was the wrong thing to say... oh dear._ Frisk kept quiet though and watched the scene before him play out. It was a little strange, honestly, seeing Undyne in a leather jacket, jeans, boots and a white t-shirt instead of the armor.

"I MEAN! I mean... Undyne... I... I've been lying to you." So this was it... Alphys was finally going to clear her conscious.

"WHAT? ABOUT WHAT?"

"About... well... Everything!" She moved forward suddenly, closing the distance as if she seemed to suddenly have gathered her courage.

"I told you that seaweed was like... scientifically important... Really, I just... I just use it to make ice cream!" She took another step forward, her words coming faster now.

"And those human history books I kept reading... Those are just dorky comic books!" Another step forward.

"And the history movies... those... Those are just, uh, anime." Another step brought her right next to Undyne.

"And that time I told you I was busy with work on the phone... I was just eating frozen yogurt in my pajamas! That time I -"

"Alphys." She stopped talking, looking at her feet now.

"I... I just wanted to impress you! I just wanted you to think I was smart and cool. That I wasn't some... nerdy loser."

"Alphys." Undyne did something Frisk never would have expected, she was consoling Alphys and had even knelt down to her level to do so.

"Undyne, I... I really think you're neat OK... "

"Alphys, ." Suddenly she stood up, picking Alphys up with her; she then suddenly tossed her into the trashcan that Alphys had been hiding behind earlier.

"Alphys! I... think you're neat too, I guess." This was a little more like the Undyne he remembered.

"But, you've got to realize... Most of what you said doesn't really matter to me. I don't care if you're watching cartoons or reading history books. To me, ALL of that stuff is just NERDY CRAP!" Frisk frowned, well... at least she was being honest right?

"What I like about you is that you're PASSIONATE! You're ANALYTICAL! It doesn't matter what it is! YOU CARE ABOUT IT! ONE HUNDRED PERCENT! AT MAXIMUM POWER!... so, you don't have to lie to me. I don't want you to have to lie to anyone anymore." Frisk smiled a little at that.

"Alphys... I want to help you become happy with who you are! And I know just the training you need to do that!" Alphys peered from inside the trashcan.

"Undyne... You... Y-you're gonna train me...?"

"Pffft, what? ME?" It was then that Frisk noticed Papyrus straighten from behind a small pile. How long had _he_ been there? He was dressed in a sweatband and his usual battle armor said "jogboy" for some reason.

"Nah, I'm gonna get Papyrus to do it."

"GET THOSE BONES SHAKIN'!" He said as he lept over a pile of garbage. Frisk just watched in amusement.

"IT'S TIME TO JOG ONE HUNDRED LAPS. HOOTING ABOUT HOW GREAT WE ARE!" A hundred?! Was he serious?!

"Ready? I'm about to start the timer!" Apparently... Frisk was just glad it wasn't him doing those laps.

"U-undyne... I'll do my best...!" Frisk felt a little bad for her, but maybe this would help her; it might seem odd but maybe this was exactly what she needed. The two ran off, leaving him with Undyne who turned to him with a shocked expression. As if what Alphys had told her finally sunk in.

"OH MY GOD! She was kidding, right!? Those cartoons... Those comics... Those are still REAL, right? ANIME'S REAL, RIGHT!?" Her expression looked a little crazed and Frisk wasn't sure what to say for a moment, should he continue the lie and let her believe that until she found out herself on the surface or should he tell the truth? Honestly, her expression was scaring him a bit... He knew it wasn't real of course, but... After a moment he nodded, after all there WAS a lot of realistic things IN anime, it just wasn't all real...

"Well, animie is real some-"

"HA HA HA! I KNEW IT! GIGANTIC SWORDS! MAGICAL PRINCESSES!" Oh dear... no, those things weren't real...

"HERE I COME!" After that there was a moment of silence. Well, he had tried to tell her that only some of it was real but she'd cut him off. Guess she wanted to think it all was real... well, she'd find out the truth herself about how real or unreal it was someday.

"Uhh, thanks for taking care of Alphys. I didn't get to say what I wanted to, but... Things seem like they're going to get better for her. Well, I gotta go catch up to them! Later!" She ran off before Frisk could say anything else. Well, now what? There wasn't going to be any talking with Alphys as he'd planned earlier. He noticed he was back where he'd landed when Undyne had cut the bridge out from under him; he'd spotted the remains of it in one garbage pile off to the side and the bed of golden flowers were nearby. How DID those things grow in the Underground without sunlight anyway? He shook his head and headed back towards Napstablook's home. Maybe the ghost might reveal something more; he'd at least be company while Frisk's clothes were drying. He was wading through the water hall where he'd fought with the Mad Dummy when his phone rang, he picked it up, wondering who it could be.

"If it isn't my good friend who trusts me. This is Papyrus, your also mutual friend." What a way to answer a phone! It was obviously Papyrus, only he would say something like that and it was easy to recognize his voice now.

"Hey Paps, what's up?"

"Alphys and I finished our training early." _I hope she didn't collapse or anything..._

"Very early. So I sent her home. Very home. Uh... now I feel strongly and for no apparent reason... You should also go... there." Why did that sound suspicious coming from him?

"To her. Lab... house. I have only good feelings about this. Goodbye." Click. _Well that was odd... but okay... guess I'm heading to Hotland next, that will surely dry my clothes._ He headed off to the section where he found the River Person waiting as expected.

"Tra la la. Care for a ride?" They asked when he approached.

"Yes, please. To Hotland."

"Then we're off." Frisk sat back in the boat as it headed off through the river, he'd no idea how it was steered but it didn't really matter much. Soon enough they were there.

"Come again soon. Tra la la."

"Thanks." He said as he disembarked and headed up; he could feel the heat of Hotland already. In the next room was the "save point" he remembered and Alphy's lab was nearby. The guards were gone, of course, from their post that led straight to the Core. He touched the "save point." It wasn't that he thought he needed it, but it didn't hurt in case something went wrong. The lab doors opened as they had the first time he'd come, but the lights were on; he didn't see her but he did see that she still hadn't fixed that hole in her wall where Mettaton had burst through. As he continued forward he saw a note on the floor in front of the bathroom door. He moved over to it and picked it up; her handwriting was a bit hard to read but he did his best to:

Hey,

Thanks for your help back there. You guys... Your support really means a lot to me. But... as difficult as this is to say this... You guys alone can't magically make my own problems go away. I want to be a better monster. I don't want to be afraid anymore. And for that to happen, I have to be able to face my own mistakes. I'm going to start doing that now. I want to be clear. This isn't anyone else's problem but mine. But if you don't ever hear from me again... If you want to know "the truth" ... enter the door to the north of this note. You all at least deserve to know what I did.

The letter ended there, it wasn't even signed but Frisk had a good idea that Alphys had written this. _Alphys..._ He thought and didn't hesitate to go into the room before the note, that had been the "bathroom" and now clearly wasn't one as he stepped inside to find it was an elevator. What had she meant by that? By what she'd done? Frisk thought about that as the elevator began its descent but suddenly things didn't go as planned; the elevator began shaking and a red light filled the room as an automatic voice rang out calmly:

Warning! Warning! Elevator losing power! EM tether stability lost! Altitude dropping!

 _Wait... em?! Emergency tether?! Oh crap!_ It was all he had time to think before everything went white then black. There was a loud crash, he could only assume that was the elevator hitting the bottom with him in it... and yet, it remained intact; nothing had happened to the elevator itself. Frisk wasn't sure if he was relieved or not when the doors slid open. He picked himself up and moved towards the dim light. It wasn't very bright wherever it was that this elevator had brought him. He found himself in a hallway of sorts, the walls and tiles underfoot were this teal color... though whether the fading shades of teal were intentional or not he wasn't sure. With nowhere else to go, Frisk moved forward, he heard the elevator doors shut. Well, no where to go now for sure but forward as he was pretty sure the elevator was in no working condition for the moment. Maybe there was some way down here to restore the power? He saw a panel on the wall light up to his left, curious, he went over to it.

Entry Number 1

This is it...

Time to do what the King has asked me to do.

I will create the power to free us all.

I will unleash the power of the SOUL.

Why did that sound sort of... ominous? Frisk shook away the notion and walked on, he saw another. Had Alphys made these?

Entry Number 2

The barrier is locked by SOUL power...

Unfortunately, this power cannot be recreated artificially.

SOUL power can only be derived from what was once living.

So, to create more, we will have to use what we have now...

The SOULS of monsters.

That didn't sound any better than the entry before it. Frisk moved on to the third, feeling a little bit unnerved now. Hadn't the legends said that monster souls were unequal to human souls? So what exactly was she trying to do?

Entry Number 3

But extracting a SOUL from a living monster would require incredible power...

Besides being impractical, doing so would instantly destroy the SOUL's host.

And, unlike the persistent SOULS of humans...

The SOULS of most monsters disappear immediately upon death.

If only I could make a monster's SOUL last...

Frisk shuddered a little, he really didn't need to imagine how they had come by that information or even think of what it would mean if a monster's soul COULD last after their death beyond that of a boss monster's... He began wondering suddenly, was this a piece of the puzzle that solved the great mystery that was Sans? Could it be possible that Sans might... somehow... survive longer after death? Despite his low health and attack, Frisk didn't doubt that Sans would be considered a boss monster. Especially not after all the deaths he'd experienced first hand in his attempts to get past him the one and only time he'd done a true genocide run... which had been... what reset number HAD that been? Third? Fifth? Frisk shook away the needed to focus and that little detail didn't really matter, but he filed away the thoughts for another time. Perhaps he'd learn more about Sans while he was here; if unintentionally. At the end of the hallway, Frisk stopped to find one more panel.

Entry Number 5

I've done it.

Using the blueprints, I've extracted it from the human SOULS.

I believe this is what gives their SOULS the strength to persist after death.

The will to keep living...

The resolve to change fate.

Let's call this power...

"Determination."

Frisk's jaw nearly hit the floor. All this time, what had been pushing him forward... Alphys had called it determination... just as he would have called it and yet... he was certain this was far before his time. This had to be before he'd come here... Even if the place was well kept, this of course, meant one of only two things in terms of Alphys... Either she had been some child prodigy, which while possible he doubted, or she was a lot older than she looked to be. There was no date on the entries so it was hard to tell when they were written, but Frisk was pretty sure these weren't that recent. At the very least, they had to be four or five years old; wouldn't he have heard whispers from the residents otherwise as he'd moved through the Underground? A project this monumental couldn't simply be kept secret for that long. So then, why hadn't he heard anything about it until now? Wait... He stepped back and counted. One, two, three, four... Four panels, if this was the fifth entry... where was the fourth? He didn't think Alphys would be someone to be so absent-minded about something like this as to just misnumber her entries. Assuming these were hers, of course; they weren't signed either so there was no way to tell who had written these and there were some good chances that there had been other scientists besides Alphys who had worked down here or even for the king. He followed the bend in the hall to a larger room where he saw a door was shut tight, the four lights on it were off. He saw a note on the ground to his right and on his left was a "save point." Just to be safe he touched the glistening point first before going over and reading what little he could make out on what was scribbled there:

Elevator... Lost power... enter center room...

That was all he could read, well that was obvious, but where was Alphys? He went off to the right but the door there remained shut to him. He went back to the main door and walked up to it, but that was a no-go as well. That just left the path to the left, noticing what looked like a snack machine to the left off the door, Frisk went over to it. There were chips inside for 25 gold. He figured it couldn't hurt and bought some, sticking it into his pockets before moving on. The left path was just another hallway with more panels.

Entry Number 6

Asgore asked everyone outside the city for monsters that had "fallen down."

Their bodies came in today.

They're still comatose...

And soon, they'll all turn into dust.

But what happens if I inject "determination" into them?

If their SOULS persist after they perish, then...

Freedom might be closer than we all thought.

Frisk frowned, putting human determination into monsters? How did one even take determination from a human's soul anyway? This particular entry raised more questions than answers. He continued on. The next panel was in what appeared to be some sort of room with empty stretchers in it.

Entry Number 9

Things aren't going well.

None of the bodies have turned into dust, so I can't get the SOULS.

I told the families I would give them the dust back for the funerals.

Monsters are starting to ask me what's happening.

What do I do?

While that entry did seem to ring true for Alphys, it reminded Frisk of what he'd read about monster funerals. How they would sprinkle the dust of the monster on the things they loved the most because they believed that was how that monster continued to be. That their dust somehow inhabited them or something like that and so putting their dust on what they loved the most was a tradition among the monsters. Probably one that dated back even before books themselves. Again, this entry was a different number than the last. Where were entries seven and eight? Frisk made a note to keep an eye out for them in case they were in other rooms or to later ask Alphys herself about them. In the room was a door and also a row of sinks on the far end. Hmmm... peculiar. Why were there three? He went over to them and turned on the first one. It spouted water as he expected it would. He did the same with the second. Again water flowed, nothing unusual there. The third sink he turned on but it wasn't water that came out... instead a white substance slowly poured from it and filled up the sink. Frisk wondered at what this could mean until the white substance suddenly stopped pouring from the sink and slowly moved upwards into a disconcernable shape with a smiley face then suddenly reared up with two heads and laughter was heard even as he felt that familiar tug that told him a Fight was starting even as he stepped back from whatever it was... He wasn't sure what the heck he was looking at as it formed into three shapes that shimmered, something seemed to crackle and he pulled out his cell phone. To his surprise he could hear a multitude of voices through the receiver!

"Come join the fun." They all said. Frisk dodged what seemed to be a multitude of blobby faces that seemed to appear all around him from nowhere before he had a moment's respite... great... whatever the heck this thing was... it wasn't exactly friendly... then again what monster had been the first time aside from Toriel, Sans and Papyrus? Okay, Monster kid had been too... and the shopkeepers and townsfolk... but them aside... just about every other monster had wanted to fight. Okay, Napstablook hadn't and Mettaton was just pretending while Alphys hadn't either... nor had the River Person... but still, the point remained. He refused to join and had to dodge a second attack, but found that he could spare the ... whatever they were. Once he'd done so they disappeared, leaving behind a red key in the sink. He put it on his keychain and left the room through the second door. He found what looked to be some sort of slot, so he took off the red key from his chain and stuck it inside, turning it; it fit perfectly and the key panel began blinking red. Okay, so that was some progress right? He back tracked back to the main room. The upper left light on the central door was lit up red now. He had made progress. Well, that meant he just needed to find three more keys and their panels and activate them to open the door to the power room. Great. This was going to be lots of fun, wasn't it? He sure hoped he'd find Alphys while he was down here. What was with the power going out all of the sudden anyway?


	22. 21: True Friend

He looked around to see where he could go next; the door that had been shut to him before now glowed red on its panel too. He moved towards it and sure enough, as expected, the doors slid open and he was able to move further into the hallway. This one wound off to the right, he followed it and found there were more panels on the wall that lit up when he got close.

Entry Number 12

Nothing is happening.

I don't know what to do.

I'll just keep injecting everyone with "determination."

I want this to work.

Again, missing entries... why from nine to twelve? He shook the thought off before going to the next.

Entry Number 13

One of the bodies opened its eyes.

 _That's it? Sounds like the beginning chapter of a horror story of some sort..._ Frisk thought He didn't like that thought and his own thought and imagination began to unnerve him even more. Having the hallway end in a wide room with nine beds, one with its sheets pulled down, didn't help matters. He didn't see anything out of place though and there was an empty dog bowl in one corner. Did Alphys own a dog of some sort? Maybe she just knew one... He shook his head, his mind jumping to conclusions he knew he really shouldn't be coming to. There was nothing ominous about this room. He found another panel on the far end near a door and a "save point" which made him relax a little. He knew "save points" were "safe" spots in Underground. It was something that he'd come to figure out over time; one of several things really. While he figured he'd been down in the Underground the equivalent of a year... it was really hard to tell when one lived the same moments over and over again and didn't do anything to keep precise tally. For all the times he'd had to do something over again... It was difficult enough alone for him to know when day had passed into night and visa versa. Clocks were the one thing that had made time seem to stand still for Frisk because not once, until he'd come into this part of Alphys' lab, had he laid eyes on one. There was one, on the wall with the panel, but a quick glance told him it was broken. He only wondered briefly why she had such a thing if it had never been fixed before dismissing it from his mind when the thought occurred that it had not even worked when she had found it and so she had no idea how to fix it and certainly couldn't tell for certain how to tell what was the correct time even if she could. He moved over to the panel.

Entry Number 14

Everyone that had fallen down...

Has woken up.

They're all walking around and talking like nothing is wrong.

I thought they were goners... ?

 _Wow... so... she did it... she revived monsters before their souls shattered in death..._ Frisk thought in amazement. Wait, if that was the end though then her note from upstairs made no sense at all! Something wasn't right... Frisk liked the thought of that even less than the previous thoughts that had unnerved him when he'd first come into this room. He went through the door and found himself in a hall with two directions to go. He went left first, towards another panel.

Entry Number 15

Seems like this research was a dead end...

But at least we got a happy ending out of it...?

I sent the Souls and the vessel back to Asgore.

And I called all of the families and told them everyone's alive.

I'll send everyone back tomorrow. :)

Well, that did seem like a happy ending, if it was a little creepy the way it had come about; why hadn't he heard about any of this though? Shouldn't Alphys had been a decorated hero or something to those who had gotten their families back? _There must be more to this story..._ He continued down the hallway. Did it have something to do with the odd monsters he'd met when he'd turned the water on in that one room? He saw another panel.

Entry Number 16

no No NO NO NO NO NO

 _Well then... that can't be good..._ He continued further into the hallway; trying not to let the atmosphere creep him out. He saw a doorway and entered. At the end of a hall was a curtain and a shadow on the other side. There wasn't any sounds of running water so obviously who or whatever was on the other side wasn't taking a shower. It looked like a... giant flexible spoon that was ... swaying in a motion one could say was a lot like the motion of a dog's tail if one were looking at just the tail of a dog. As he got closer the motion sped up. He stopped and the shadow kept an even pace; out of curiosity, he stepped back and it seemed to slow down. Bizarre... and it was making some sort of noise that sounded akin to panting... he drew closer and the thing swayed faster and faster, he pulled aside the curtain quickly only to find... Nothing. Huh? What had been making that shadow? Whatever it was seemed to have fled, something glistened in the tub and he saw it was a green key. Frisk picked it up and added it to his keychain. This was certainly a strange, creepy place; but he couldn't let that bother him. He needed to find Alphys. He left the strange hallway room and went back to the other hallway. He went left, continuing the way he'd been going. The hall led to a room with a strange machine that reminded him much of the skull of some sort of animal; a cow, in the way it was shaped though he wasn't sure that was on purpose. He saw a gold star and didn't hesitate to go up to touch it; it was a reassuring sight but just before he touched it he froze as suddenly there was a face on that star. There'd never been a face before. Then the star morphed, it had been a trick; it was a monster! Frisk found himself drawn into a fight; the monster reminded him of Shyren but instead of a fish-head companion like he remembered, this one seemed to have a giant blob with a large set of teeth. Every once in a while the blob would "flex" and become thinner and a pair of wicked looking eyes would form at the top of it as the "jaw" dropped. It was intimidating... he had to give it that, but it didn't seem out to hurt him and he dealt with it as he had the monster before hand.

"Welcome to my special hell." Well that sounded ominous no matter how one put it. He dodged as the thing morphed into a giant mouth and tried to crush him. His saving grace were "holes" in the teeth, the thing "bit" at him a few times before reforming back to it's previous form. He still wasn't going to kill; he'd dedicated himself to not killing monsters. It took a while, but soon he won the battle and the thing that the dialogue had called Lemon Bread, had calmed down and wandered off. With the monster gone, he moved to the other side of the strange machine to another panel.

DT EXTRACTION MACHINE

STATUS: INACTIVE

So that's what this was. Odd. He moved on from the room, trying not to think too hard about the monster he'd just faced or what he might face next. Where could Alphys be? Just how big WAS this place? The next room proved to be filled with thick fog and he couldn't see a thing, rather than move forward he backtracked to the previous room. _Guess I should turn on the fans before I go further into that room._ Returning to the room with the machine he saw a door and entered only to find a TV with VHS tapes and another panel, but it was yellow. A note nearby on the floor had something scribbled on it but all he could make out was "under... sheets..." Did that mean the room with the beds? He looked around the room and noticed another panel. He moved to read it, and was a little surprised and thoughtful when he did.

Entry Number 4

I've been researching humans to see if I can find any info about their Souls.

I ended up snooping around the castle...

And I found these weird tapes...

I don't feel like Asgore's watched them...

I don't think he should.

What could possibly be on these tapes that would make Alphys think that the king shouldn't watch them? Were they that bad or something? He flipped through the shelf only to realize most were cartoons. Then he noticed a small stack near the TV's VCR that weren't labeled in any form beyond by number. He stuck the first one in. There was nothing but black on the camera itself, but he heard a voice he recognized.

"Pssst. Gorey, wake up." It was Toriel!

"Mmm? What is it, dear?" A second voice, was that Asgore? There was no way Frisk could know for sure but he suspected it might be as the tape continued.

"... errr, and why do you have that video camera?"

"Shush! I want to get your reaction. Gorey, dearest. What is my favorite vegetable?"

"Hmmm... Carrots, right?"

"No no no! My FAVORITE vegetable is... Eda-MOM-e. ... Get it?"

" ... Go back to bed, dear."

"No no! Not yet! Hee hee hee. Now if I were a dog, what breed would I be?"

"Hmmm... I don't know, honey. What kind of dog would you be?"

"I would be... a MOMeranian."

"Hohoho! You sure are excited to have this child." So Toriel had a child... who was that child?

"You know, if you keep making jokes like this... One day, you could be... a famous MOMedian." There was a moment of silence.

"Well, I'm going to bed."

"Hey! Come on, Tori! That one was funny!" Laughter followed.

"I know, I'm just teasing you. Goodnight dear."

"Goodnight, honey."

"Oh dear, perhaps it is too dark in here for the video to come out..." Well, that explained why it was so dark. That also seemed to be the end of the tape. He took it out and put in the second one, a new voice piped up, this one was younger but there was still no visual.

"Okay, Chara, are you ready? Do your creepy face!" There was a moment of silence then a sort of shriek from the owner of the voice followed by laughter.

"Oh! Wait! I had the lense cap on..." There was a quiet murmur that was hard to make out.

"What?! You're not going to do it again...? Come on, quit tricking me!" The owner of the voice laughed and the tape ended. The voice had belonged to a child, but who? Had that been Toriel's child? He almost felt for certain that it had to be... as if Chara herself was affirming it. He didn't think on that though as he put in the next tape; there were only was the same voice from the second video.

"Howdy, Chara! Smile for the camera!" There was a moment of silence, this one too didn't have any visual to it.

"Ha, this time I got YOU! I left the cap on... ON PURPOSE! Now you're smiling for noooo reason!" Frisk couldn't help but chuckle along with the child's laughter. That was a good one.

"What? Oh, yeah, I remember. When we tried to make butterscotch pie for Dad, right?" There was a moment's pause and Frisk could barely make out a murmur that he realized that while he couldn't hear what was being said he recognized the voice as Chara's.

"The recipe called for cups of butter... but we accidently put in buttercups instead." Seemed like something a child might do.

"Yeah! Those flowers got him really sick. I felt so bad. We made Mom really upset. I should have laughed it off, like you did... Um, anyway, where are you going with this?" Why was it that the camera didn't pick up what Chara was saying? Had she really been that soft spoken in life?

"Huh? Turn off the camera...? Ok." That was the end of that. What had Chara been talking about? Frisk wondered if the next video would reveal more, obviously these had been done when Chara had come down here. Toriel had been motherly to Chara... just as she had been with him, which meant that she likely had known Chara in life...

"I... I don't like this idea, Chara." The voice was a little louder, but Frisk still couldn't tell what was being said.

"Wh... what? N-no, I'm not..." Frisk didn't like the sound of this.

"... Big kids don't cry." Chara said something, quieter this time.

"Yeah, you're right." Frisk resigned himself to not being able to hear what Chara said when he realized the volume on the TV was as high as it was going to go.

"No! I'd never doubt you, Chara... Never!" What was this about exactly? It wasn't entirely clear.

"Y... Yeah! We'll be strong! We'll free everyone. I'll go get the flowers." The tape ended. A plan to free all the monsters and flowers... _Did... did Chara kill herself in an attempt to free all of the monsters here? If so, then... She really cared a lot about the monsters down here and the ones who had adopted her._ He put in the last tape.

"Chara... Can you hear me? We want you to wake up..." Was that Toriel's voice?

"Chara! You have to stay determined! You can't give up... You are the future of humans and monsters..." That sounded like Asgore and those words... Frisk had heard those before! He stared at the blank screen in shock as the video went on. This time in the child's voice.

"Psst... Chara... Please... wake up... I don't like this plan anymore. I... I..." There was a faint murmur, almost too faint to even be heard on the tape.

"No, I said... I said I'd never doubt you. Six, right? We just have to get six... And we'll do it together, right?" That was the end of the tape. Six. Six souls... To break the barrier. Undyne had mentioned this before their fight countless times. It was starting to become clear now, Chara had fallen into the Underground, just as Frisk had, and had befriended Toriel and Asgore's child and then the two had devised a plan to free the other monsters. So then... what had gone wrong with the plan? Obviously it hadn't worked. Did Alphys know about this plan or had she guessed it from the tapes? Frisk shook away the thoughts that came, that would be something he would likely not know the answers to. It didn't matter. He still needed to find Alphys and restore power to this place so that they could both leave this lab. He left the room and went back the way he'd come and continued back to the room with the beds and he noticed one bed seemed to have a lump underneath. He pulled back the covers and found the yellow key; he added it to his keychain and touched the "save point"... just in case. He headed back to the hallway and took the right path this time, thinking that he should see if the other key's panel wasn't down this way; if not, he could always double back to the yellow key's panel. The room at the end was foggy, but it wasn't as thick as the other room and there was a panel nearby that glowed.

Entry Number 11

Now that Mettaton's made it big, he never talks to me anymore.

... except to ask when I'm going to finish his body.

But I'm afraid if I finish his body, he won't need me anymore...

Then we'll never be friends ever again.

... not to mention every time I try to work on it, I just get really sweaty...

Maybe if he turned on the fans the air would be clearer in here? Frisk moved to the end of the hallway and found a switch, he pressed it. Soon as he did the fans came on, but the "fog" in the room didn't clear. It began to gather and soon there was a ... thing... blocking his way. It looked like some sort of odd dog. He pulled out the stick he'd kept, sure enough... the thing played fetch with him for a while before he was able to spare it. With the thing gone and the fans whirling, he could see the room clearly. Well, okay then. How many of those... things... were around here? They didn't exactly look like any monster he'd encountered before and certainly didn't behave like one... what WERE they exactly? He knew he'd need to find Alphys to get his answers so he headed back the way he'd come. Just to play it safe, he returned to the save point before heading back down the hall; one thing was clear, the story of something was beginning to form and it wasn't a story with a very happy ending. He went to the only room he hadn't been in before, he'd peeked in but it had been too foggy to see. Now he could see thanks to the fans; it was a room with what seemed to be a row of fridges. There were panels on the wall too. He approached the first.

Entry Number 19

The families keep calling me to ask when everyone is coming home.

What am I supposed to say?

I don't even answer the phone anymore.

Nineteen... More numbers had been skipped. Where in the world were all the missing entries? What had happened to the monsters that Alphys had revived and why would she suddenly stop answering her phone? An idea began to form in his head. Were those things... could it be that...? He moved to the next panel.

Entry Number 20

Asgore left me five messages today.

Four about everyone being angry, one about this cute teacup he found that looks like me.

Thanks Asgore.

He wondered if that was supposed to be sarcastic or not... and what were in these fridges? He doubled back to the first, it was empty. The second seemed to have a vial of some sort in it but Friks had no idea what it contained. The third one vibrated when he went up to it, but opening it proved a futile endeavor, there was nothing inside. He did see another panel and went over to that one.

Entry Number 21

I spend all my time at the garbage dump now.

It's my element.

Well, that wasn't very enlightening at all. He checked the next fridge. There were some sort of samples inside of things that Frisk couldn't identify. Well, he wasn't a scientist after all but if he had to guess... blood and skin samples... Any other sample it could be he really didn't want to think about. He checked the final fridge only to find it empty. Shutting it, he headed towards the nearby door; thinking that there was nothing here, but then he heard a noise that made him stop. It was the same noise he'd heard the last... thing... he'd fought, make. He turned to see that the last fridge wasn't a fridge at all... _Guess this room wasn't as empty as I thought._

"Sn...ow...y..." The thing could talk? Wait... where had he heard that name before? He was certain that he had. He looked at the thing before... it... Resembled a Snowdrake but it obviously wasn't one... Then it clicked. Hadn't a Snowdrake he'd come across early on in his adventure been looking for his mother? A sense of horror began to dawn on him... whatever... THIS thing was... it had once been that poor monster's mother... So Frisk told the thing a snow joke. To his surprise, it began to laugh.

"Haha... I... remember..." The snow attacks it had were easy to dodge and seemed very weak in comparison to anything that Frisk remembered facing before now. Frisk decided to keep telling jokes.

"Haha... thank... You..." Eventually the thing seems to calm down and Frisk spares her... It... Something sparkled on the ground, a blue key. Frisk put it with all the others he had; he was getting quite the collection of these things now really. He went into the next room only to find a place for the green key. Good, that saved some searching. He put the green key in, like the others before it, it started to glow. He headed back the way he came once more... this was a lot of doubling back if he stopped to think about it. He headed back to the room with the tapes to put in the yellow key while he remembered to before going back to the room with the beds. He saved and then headed into the only other room there was. For some reason this hall had mirrors on wall and on the other was a self that held flowers. Between the mirrors were more panels. He went to the first.

Entry Number 7

We'll need a vessel to wield the monster SOULS when the time comes.

After all, a monster cannot absorb the SOULS of other monsters.

Just as a human cannot absorb another human SOUL...

So then...

What about something that's neither human nor monster?

Was she serious?! Putting a soul into something that... wait... a golden flower. _Oh no... don't tell me..._ The golden flowers here reminded him of one OTHER golden flower... There was no doubt in Frisk's mind now, not after having read all the other entries... Alphys had inadvertently created Flowey. What monster's soul had been put into the flower? Why was Flowey the way he was? Questions he doubted the flower would ever answer, this entry was pretty old though... So... what had happened between this one and the entry that had begun talking about bringing back monsters that had "fallen down" ? Only one way to find out. Frisk continued to the next.

Entry Number 10

Experiments on the vessel are a failure.

It doesn't seem to be any different from the control cases.

Whatever.

They're a hassle to work with anyway.

The seeds just stick to you, and won't let go...

Well, that explained a lot... and at the same time, nothing really. The next section was lined with mirrors that were right next to one another. What the heck? Well, it didn't matter did it? He walked down the hall but when he got to the last mirror he noticed something over his head. It looked like a... was that a... emote bubble?! Said "bubble" suddenly expanded with the same sound he recalled the last... thing... making. Chara probably would have known what these things were called, but without the other soul around for constant "narration" Frisk was pretty much on his own. That was the one thing he missed about Chara who had seemed to know it all. This thing looked like a bird with one really huge eye on each side of its head... great. He didn't figure he could play fetch with this one... he tried praying... the thing said something but he wasn't sure what. It's attack was a really odd thing with a head... It wasn't human, but humanoid... Butterflies suddenly seem to come and torment it. Butterflies... where had he seen an attack like that before...? Of course! So the next thing he did was do something mysterious, it turned its head this way and that, beak opening and closing before it uttered something but all Frisk could make out were the last few words.

"... so afraid?" The humanoid thing was back, its face obscured by the butterflies but now they tried to swarm him; he dodged them, but that was harder and harder to do as the thing approached before vanishing again. Frisk thought quickly about what to do... he tried humming, but that didn't seem to work at all; the humanoid thing returned and he dodged more butterflies... What next? He thought through his options before eating a glamburger he had to heal his wounds, the humanoid thing reappeared; this time its face was clear of butterflies... but as it approached it's head came off! It floated towards Frisk as a new one generated and floated after the next and this continued for a while until the thing disappeared again. He decided to try picking on the thing; that seemed to do the trick. Three voices seemed to speak, one after another.

"Finally someone gets it!"

"Ribbit ribbit."

"Courage..." He was able to spare the thing. Like the others before it, it vanished and Frisk moved on to the next room; he really hoped that was the last one... The room held the keyhole for the blue key. _I think that's all the keys... I hope._ He headed back towards the room with the save point. He didn't want to have to go through all that again. From there he went back down the hallway he remembered coming down the first time and went to the door that had been locked before; now all four of the colored panels were lit on it and the door opened smoothly. It looked like there was another elevator except there was a passage off to his left. Well, nothing to do about that but move on; Frisk headed down the passage to another hallway where there were two more panels it seemed, but these ones didn't light up when he approached them. He thought that was odd but dismissed it and went for the door at the end; this hallway was pretty much like all the others. Inside the next room he saw a large machine, it looked like it might be the power generator; he hit the switch to turn it on again. As soon as he did he heard a familiar sound... he turned and nearly groaned... the things were back! Four this time... and they were slowly approaching him... There was nowhere to run... but just when they were about to get too close a familiar voice rang out.

"Hey! Stop!" The two in front of Frisk stepped aside and he saw it was Alphys who ran forward.

"I got you guys some food, okay?!" Food?! That's what this was about? The four, things, left.

"Sorry about that..." She looked away, blushing as if embarrassed that she'd done something that wasn't right.

"They kind of get sassy when they don't get fed on time. I think they smelled the potato chips you had, and..." Okay, that made sense.

"Anyway!" She turned to face him again.

"The power went out, and I've been trying to turn it back on! But it seems like you were one step ahead of me." _How? You got down here before me..._ He wondered but brushed it aside, it wasn't really important.

"This was probably just a big inconvenience for you... B-but I appreciate that you came here to back me up!" BACK her up? Seriously?! He done all the work! Oh well... this WAS Alphys after all... She turned away again.

"As I said, I was afraid I might... Not come back... but that's not because of those guys or anything!"

"Then why?"

"I was just worried I'd be too afraid... to tell the truth." She looked down at the floor then turned away again as she went on.

"That I might run away or do something... cowardly." There was a moment of silence as the words sank in. Frisk didn't say anything in return, he understood a little too well...

"Uh... I... supposed I owe you an explanation." It seemed she couldn't look him in the eye; maybe she found it easier to speak if she didn't.

"As you probably know, Asgore asked me to study the nature of SOULS. During my research, I isolated a power I called "determination." I injected it into dying monsters so their SOULS would linger after death." She turned to look at him then; as if expecting anger or something... maybe even protest but how could he protest against what she had done when it had meant to be to help? Yes it hadn't worked out quite like she'd hoped, but still.

"But the experiment failed." She looked at the floor again.

"You see, unlike humans', monsters' bodies don't have enough... physical matter to take those concentrations of "determination." Their bodies started to melt, and lost what physicality they had." Well, that explained those... creatures. Frisk felt bad for them, he really did, but he also felt bad for Alphys who had been caring for them for so long now.

"Pretty soon, all the tests subjects had melted together into... those."

"I had thought as much; I read all the entries that were left behind on the panels." She nodded a little.

"Seeing them like this, I knew... I couldn't tell their families about it. I couldn't tell anyone about it. No matter how much everyone was asking me." The more she spoke, the more Frisk began to understand what she had gone through and the events that had led up to this moment for her.

"And I was too afraid to do anymore work, knowing..." She struggled to speak now.

"... everything I had done so far had been such a horrific failure." He wanted to reach out to hug her, to tell her that it wasn't that bad... but honestly, that wouldn't be the truth and he couldn't push himself to lie to her. She was his friend after all.

"... But now. Now, I've changed my mind about all this. I'm going to tell everyone what I've done."

 _That's very brave of you._

"It's going to be hard. Being honest... believing in myself... I'm sure there will be times where I'll struggle. I'm sure there will be times where I screw up again. But knowing, deep down, I have friends to fall back on... I know it will be a lot easier to stand on my own." Frisk simply smiled at her when their eyes met again.

"Thank you." The creatures appeared again and Alphys turned.

"Come on, guys. It's time for everyone to go home." They left the room and Frisk followed a moment later. With that done, he knew it was time to face Asgore again; he didn't know if things would be different... if anything would go differently, but he at least felt that Alphys knew for certain now that he was her friend and would help her. He left the room and noticed that the panels that had been off now seemed to be on... it was... odd, he went to the first.

Entry Number 8

I've chosen a candidate.

I haven't told Asgore yet, because I want to surprise him with it...

In the center of his garden, there's something special.

The first golden flower that grew before all the others.

The flower from the outside world.

It appeared just before the queen left.

I wonder...

What happens when something without a SOUL gains the will to live?

 _Oh God... so I was right... Flowey... Alphys... Alphys made him..._

He moved to the next.

Entry Number 18

The flower's gone.

Flowey. These were the missing entries from earlier... the entries had skipped around but in the end he had all but two... and now... now he had the full story. Alphys had tried to play god and in return... she had created a monster without ever knowing it... He hoped she never found out what became of that flower. He was certain that the determination in that flower had created Flowey, a flower that had possibly just so happened... likely without her knowledge... Have the ashes of a monster on them... because the flowers in the garden, from what he remembered of the story Undyne had told him what seemed like ages ago... Asgore's son had returned to the palace only to become ashes in the throne room... If that garden had been in the throne room at the time... there was no doubt that there was a connection... Frisk hoped against hope that he was wrong. That the garden of flowers in the throne room now was NOT where Alphys had gotten that flower... but there was no way to know for sure. Not without asking Flowey himself.


	23. 22: A New Battle

Just as Frisk moved into the elevator his phone rang. _I get reception even down here?_ He hadn't thought to test that... The voice on the other end wasn't one he recalled ever having heard before.

"Chara... Are you there? It's been a long time, hasn't it...?" Who was this? Why were they calling him Chara?

"But you've done well. Thanks to you, everything has fallen into place. Chara... See you soon." Click.

"Great." Frisk muttered. He hoped Flowey hadn't taken to prank calls. Suddenly both doors to the hallways closed. The elevator began moving. What the heck?! Red lights flashed and what sounded like an alarm was ringing... suddenly everything went white and he was forced to shut his eyes even as all sound of the alarms ceased. When he opened his eyes he found himself still in the elevator. Things were quiet. Almost nerve wracking so; he stepped out. He was back in the capital! He looked back at the elevator, vines covered it now. Well, there wasn't anything to do now but go forward. He hoped this was what would get them all out. So that things were how they were supposed to be. Humans didn't fear monsters anymore, after all, so they should all be able to co-exist... theoretically. Frisk wasn't stupid, humanity was; still it was only right to give his friends a chance to live in the sun as humans did. So he pushed forward, walking through the Judgement Hall... no Sans there to greet him or talk. He found the save point that was usually there was gone. Odd. He didn't think much on it as he continued forward. The save point, just before the Barrier, was still there; Frisk touched it... just in case anything went wrong. He then stepped forward to where Asgore awaited.

"This is the barrier. This is what keeps us all trapped underground." He spoke as if Frisk didn't know this already. Not bothering to look at him.

"If... if by any chance you have any unfinished business... Please do what you must."

"No." Frisk replied, there was nothing left to do. He was certain of it... or as certain as he was going to be.

"... I see. This is it, then." He turned.

"Ready?" Frisk nodded, he hoped that he hadn't missed anything this time. He really didn't want to go back in time again. It was time that he stopped running from the future. From the floor around Asgore rose seven tubes, Frisk recognized each of the souls that he saw and one of the tubes was empty. _So then... he means to kill me. That one is for my soul..._ He knew Asgore meant well, but he was also certain this wasn't what was needed to break the barrier; he was hoping against hope that he was right and that his efforts had not been in vain. He felt the familiar tug at his soul that meant the battle was to start, many times before had he faced Asgore; he knew this fight. Had done this more times than he wished to count right now. This was it. _I won't give up. I won't give in. One way or another... I will free my friends._ _All of them._ Twilight shone through the barrier, casting a strange sort of light around the room, but Frisk wasn't too interested in that as he watched the sad-faced Asgore. Were they really going to fight yet again?

"Human..." _Seriously... why does everyone but Sans call me that? I mean, I guess my real name isn't known to them yet but still... you'd think they'd think to ask._

"It was nice to meet you. Goodbye." Frisk tensed as he lowered his head and Frisk felt his spirits sink. So they were to fight after all- A flame appeared next to Asgore and knocked him aside. Frisk stared in surprise, was that...?! Toriel, just like with his fight with Flowey... she stepped up from the shadows.

"What a miserable creature, torturing such a poor innocent youth..." Frisk almost felt like laughing. She had said the same thing the first time they'd met! This was something different, the last times she hadn't appeared... hadn't ever answered his attempts to call her, but here she was!

"Do not be afraid my child. It is I, Toriel, your friend and guardian." Frisk smiled in spite of himself. How could he be afraid? She was his first friend here. She shifted a little, as if she seemed uncertain before speaking again.

"At first, I thought I would let you make your journey alone... But I could not stop worrying about you." _Mom..._ She really was his mother.

"Your adventure must have been treacherous." Well, yes it had been. He'd lost count of how many times he'd died by now. She seemed unsettled now, as if almost guilty.

"... and ultimately, it would burden you with a horrible choice." _Horrible indeed! How many times have I stood here and made the choice to fight because it was forced upon me? To face the monster that Flowey would become only to never cross the barrier in the end because I could not be satisfied by that even after I'd spared him... I could never manage to kill him no matter how angry I became or how much hatred I felt... if only because none of it was ever truly aimed at him... but at myself and what I'd let myself become._

"To leave this place, you would have to take the life of another person. You would have to defeat Asgore." _Yeah... but I'm hoping that's not the only answer. It can't be._

"However... I realized... I cannot allow that. It is not right to sacrifice someone simply to allow someone to leave here." _I agree._

"Is that not what I have been trying to prevent this whole time? So, for now, let us suspend this battle. As terrible as Asgore is... He deserves mercy too." Frisk nodded.

"Tori... you came back...!"

"Do not "Tori" me Dreemur!" Frisk couldn't help but be slightly amused at watching the interaction between the former spouses.

"You pathetic whelp." Frisk felt a little sorry for them, knowing what he did about what had happened in the past... it was a terrible thing and he hoped that, maybe... just maybe... he could help set things right even if he couldn't turn back the clock for them to stop Chara.

"If you really wanted to free our kind... You could have gone through the barrier after you got ONE SOUL.-" _True as that may be, it's not so simple a matter because... even if he did that... how could he be sure the next souls he found would not be innocent children who would be missed?_

"taken six souls from humans, then come back and freed everyone peacefully. But instead, you made everyone live in despair... Because you would rather wait here, meekly hoping another human never comes." Wasn't that a bit harsh? He seemed on the verge of tears...

"... Tori... You're right... I am a miserable creature... but, do you think we can at least be friends again?" She sighed.

"NO, Asgore." He really did cry at that. Frisk felt bad for him, but as an adult he should take responsibility for his actions and realize that not everyone was going to understand. Still, hadn't he done what he thought was right at the time? Could she really fault him for that? Frisk thought to ask as much but a familiar sound kept him from speaking.

"Ngahhhhhh! ASGORE! Human! Nobody fight each other!" Frisk turned and felt another burst of joy.

"Undyne."

"Everyone's gonna make friends, or else I'll...!" Well, that was Undyne...

"I'll..." Frisk wondered if she'd thought that far ahead. Toriel, who'd seemed surprised, spoke up while Asgore just quietly cried where he was.

"Hello. I am Toriel. Are you the human's friend? It is nice to meet you." Undyne grinned.

"Uh, yeah...? Nice to meet you!" She moved over to Asgore, saying none-too-quietly.

"Hey Asgore, is that your ex?" He didn't respond.

"Jeez, that's rough buddy."

"H-hey!" Frisk swore he nearly fell over spinning around at the familiar, if timid voice.

"Nobody hurt each other!" _Alphys... you came!_ This was the missing piece, Frisk was sure of it, although she looked nervous when she spotted Toriel.

"Oh! Are you another friend? I am Toriel. Hello!"

"Uh, h-h-hi!" She looked over to Frisk and whispered.

"There's two of them?" Frisk about laughed. Apparently the former queen had either never met all the other monsters in this place or didn't remember them. That was something that was hard to tell, even for Frisk who'd been around them for so long now. As she moved over to talk to Undyne another familiar voice piped up and Frisk couldn't stop the grin.

"HEY! NOBODY FIGHT ANYONE! IF ANYONE FIGHTS ANYONE I'LL... THEN I'LL! BE FORCED!" _Oh boy... you didn't think this through anymore than Undyne did... did you Paps?_ Frisk was dying laughing on the inside, but he would never dare laugh at Papyrus out loud because he knew the skeleton was doing his best, even if it was down right hilarious.

"TO ASK UNDYNE FOR HELP!" _Well, at least he's honest..._

"Hello!" Papyrus turned his attention to Toriel.

"OH! HELLO YOUR MAJESTY! PSST! HEY. HUMAN. DID ASGORE SHAVE...? AND CLONE HIMSELF?"

"Pfft..." Frisk was trying so hard not to laugh. Apparently Sans had not explained to him the differences between adult males and females... yet. Speaking of which, if Papyrus was here wouldn't that mean Sans wouldn't be far behind? Sure enough, Frisk saw the shorter skeleton sauntering up to them, he couldn't tell from his expression if Sans remembered anything from the last reset or not because as usual, his expression and manner didn't give away anything. In fact, it was just his normal expression.

"Hey guys... what's up?"

"That voice..!" _Oh, right... Sans and Toriel haven't met yet in person yet... so to speak._ Toriel moved between the two brothers.

"Hello, I think we ma... know each other?" Frisk smiled a little.

"Oh hey... I recognize your voice, too." Frisk glanced over at the others, Papyrus was still looking suspiciously at Toriel while the others seemed comically surprised to find out that Sans and Toriel knew one another.

"I am Toriel. So nice to meet you."

"The name's Sans." He winked at her. _Ah... Sans... do you really think you should be flirting with her in front of her ex?_ Well... maybe Sans didn't know that... oh well.

"And... uh, same."

"Oh! Wait, then...!" She turned to Papyrus.

"This must be your brother, Papyrus! Greetings, Papyrus! It is so nice to finally meet you!" Frisk watched the entire scene with mild amusement as Papyrus went from happy to blushingly happy in a matter of seconds.

"Your brother has told me so much about you."

"WOWIE... I CAN'T BELIEVE ASGORE'S CLONE KNOWS WHO I AM! THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!" Frisk wondered how long that would last. After all, Toriel and Sans had the same sense of humor and well...

"Hey, Papyrus... What does a skeleton tile his roof with?" _Uh oh... here it comes..._

"HMMM... SNOW-PROOF ROOF TILES?"

"No, silly! A skeleton tiles his roof with ... SHIN-gles." The look on Papyrus' face was priceless and both Sans and Frisk burst into laugher. Frisk had been trying not to laugh, really, but this was too much!

"I CHANGED MY MIND! THIS IS THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE!" Toriel giggled, while Frisk was trying to get ahold of himself.

"Come on, Asgore! It's gonna be ok! There are plenty of fish in the sea..." Frisk glanced over at the group, wiping away tears of laughter, it was hard to think, at a time like this that there was someone who was sad; Asgore did appear down though. It seemed even Alphys was trying to help.

"Y-yeah, Asgore! Undyne's totally right about that fish thing! S-sometimes you've just got to, uh..." Okay, this was priceless.

"S-stop going after furry boss monsters and, uh... J-just get to know a really cute fish...?" Seeing that Undyne looked uncertain only seemed to make Alphys more nervous.

"It's a metaphor." She smiled at the short scientist.

"Well, I think it's a good analogy."

"OH MY GOD! WILL YOU TWO JUST SMOOCH ALREADY?!" Frisk snickered a little, he knew that voice... it seemed that Mettaton had come as well.

"THE AUDIENCE IS DYING FOR SOME ROMANTIC ACTION!" Frisk wasn't sure if he should applaud the robot or snicker at the two... so he just kept silent, but Mettaton wasn't completely wrong, wasn't it time the two stopped dancing around each other already?

"HEY, SHUT UP! Man, the nerve of that guy! Right Alphys!?" No response.

"... Uh, Alphys?"

"No. He's right. LET'S DO IT!"

"Well? Uh? I guess? If you want to?" She didn't sound so convinced herself, not that he blamed her; it was likely her first kiss after all.

"Then? Don't hold anything back!" Frisk felt like he should have some popcorn or something as he watched the two slowly but surely shift to reach one another for a kiss and just as they were about to Toriel rushed over in between them and pushed them apart.

"W-wait! Not in front of the human!" The two looked embarrassed. _Crap... I really should tell her I'm not a kid..._

"Uhh, right! S-sorry, I got a little carried away there." Alphys replied, she chuckled and suddenly Frisk found he was faced with his friends all standing before him in a line.

"My child, it seems as if you must stay here for a while." _I wouldn't mind that, honestly. Why do I suddenly feel uneasy though? What have I forgotten?_

"But looking at all the friends you have made... I think... I think you will be happy here." Frisk nodded. _Yes... for what time I have left... I could be happy._

"H-hey, that reminds me. Papyrus... YOU called everyone here, right?" _Huh? He did?!_

"Well, uh, besides her. Uh, anyway..." _Alphys... what are you trying to say?_ It did seem odd that Paps of all people would have called everyone to such a place... why?

"If I got here before you... How did you know to call everybody?" That was a very good question and Frisk wasn't sure he was going to like the answer.

"LET'S JUST SAY... A TINY FLOWER HELPED ME."

"A tiny... flower?" Her voice shook and the look on her face betrayed what she thought... _WHAT?! It couldn't be-!_

"It's a tr-!" The warning came too late from Frisk, as vines snatched up each of his friends and Asgore; wrapping around them like rope. None other than Flowey appeared and Frisk gritted his teeth.

"Flowey."

"You IDIOTS." _Always with the insults too..._

"While you were having your little pow-wow I took the human souls!" He grinned evilly, but Frisk just glared in return. So this was it huh? Another fight with Flowey? Was he going to become that monstrosity again? If so... Frisk was ready. This would be the last time after all... would it be like when Chara had come over from their timeline somehow? It didn't matter, Frisk was ready... this time there would be no resets unless needed to beat this flower. It was going to end this time, once and for all.

"And now, not only are THOSE under my power... But all of your FRIENDS' SOULS are gonna be mine, too!" _Damn you... Guys... I'm sorry about this... about getting you mixed up in this fight..._ Flowey laughed.

"And you know what the best part is? It's all your fault. It's all because you MADE THEM love you." _No... I didn't make them... they chose to..._

"All the time you spent listening to them... Encouraging them... Caring about them... Without that, they wouldn't have come here." Frisk wasn't cowed by Flowey's words, he'd had enough of listening to the flower spout off as if he knew everything there was to know.

"And now, with their souls and the humans' together... I will achieve my REAL FORM." _Real form? Does that mean...?!_ He chuckled.

"Why are you still doing this? After I gave you that chance... WHY?!"

"Why? Don't you get it? This is all just a GAME. If you leave the Underground satisfied, you'll "win" the game. If you "win" you won't want to "play" with me anymore. And what would I do then? But this game between us will NEVER end! I'll hold victory in front of you, just beyond your reach... and then tear it away just before you grasp it!" _Do you even understand what you're doing? You don't know what my plans are... do you? Or how far I will go to achieve them..._

"Over, and over, and over..." He chuckled.

"Listen. If you DO defeat me I'll give you your "happy ending." I'll bring your friends back. I'll destroy the barrier. Everyone will finally be satisfied." _I knew it! There IS another way to destroy it!_

"You've got yourself a deal." He smiled evilly.

"But that **won't** happen. You...!" His eyes became pupiless then and Frisk wondered if he could really do this...

"I'll keep you here no matter what." He became normal again. Flowey was definitely creepy when he wanted to be. He disappeared only to pop up right next to Frisk and suddenly Frisk found his soul in a tiny box surrounded by Flowey's pelts and with no room to dodge or even move! What trickery was this?!

"Even if it means killing you 1,000,000 times!" A look of grim fear crossed Frisk's features. He'd already died so many times at Flowey's hands... how many times would it be before Frisk's sanity was lost? The constant pain of death, of experiencing death over and over and not passing from it... it had nearly driven him mad the first time... how could he hope to keep sane a second time?! He staggered as the pellets pummeled him relentlessly until he was down to only a single point of health as the flower just laughed. Panting, barely able to stand, Frisk shut his eyes; waiting for a blow that didn't come. Heat? He cracked open one eye to see the flames that disappeared around him. Was that...?

"What?" Flowey had stopped laughing.

"Do not be afraid my child..."

"T... T-toriel..." She had...

"No matter what happens... We will always be there to protect you." Frisk looked over at his friends even as the next attacks were repelled by bones and a spear.

"THAT'S RIGHT, HUMAN! YOU CAN WIN! JUST DO WHAT I WOULD DO... BELIEVE IN YOU!"

"Paps..."

"Hey! Human! If you got past ME, you can do ANYTHING! So don't worry, we're with you all the way!"

"Undyne..."

"Huh? You haven't beaten this guy yet? Come on, this weirdo's got nothing on you."

"Sans... heh.. You have a point there..." They locked eyes. _After all... I beat you... once..._ Frisk knew he remembered, that it was the final nightmare for his friend... No, his best friend. The two of them had suffered through so much together... Flowey tried again, but this time it was Mettaton's power and a bone that blocked the attacks.

"Technically, it's impossible for you to beat him... B-but... Somehow, I know you can do it!"

"Alphys..."

"Human, for the future of humans and monsters... ! You have to stay determined...!" _Yes... I've heard that before and I believe it. He can't weaken my resolve._ Slowly Frisk was regaining a second wind to fight. Fight he would. Suddenly the place filled with all the other monsters, friends that he'd made along the way in his journey, everything from the Snowdrakes near Snowden to the Vulcans from Hotland and every other monster he had ever come across.

"We're with you too!" One called.

"C'mon, you got this!" Even Monster Kid was there.

"You've got to win!"

"You can do it!"

"Ribbit!" The voices filled the area and Frisk felt his health quickly returned. They were helping! With every voice he heard, Frisk felt like he was gaining strength from them and a will to fight on. With his health restored, Frisk stood defiant and ready to fight the flower who looked, for the moment, to be overwhelmed by it all. Obviously he still didn't understand.

"Urrrgh... NO! Unbelievable! This can't be happening...! You... YOU..." His tone quivered but Frisk knew this wasn't over, not by a long flower suddenly grinned.

"I can't believe you're all so STUPID." He said slowly.

"ALL OF YOUR SOULS ARE MINE!" A white light made Frisk shield his eyes. When he finally was able to see again the room seemed eerily silent, there was no one else around it seemed... except... one... A small figure, about his size, in a striped shirt. A monster no doubt.

"So... you finally revealed it." Frisk murmured as he looked at the figure who flexed his hands, feeling them again for the first time in so very long... A sound like a sob seemed to come from the small figure. A young voice spoke, a voice that Frisk had heard only one other time...

"Finally. I was so tired of being a flower." The figure turned, he appeared to be a young goat kid and he slowly lifted his head so that their eyes met. His own were a sapphire, like Asgore's, his fur the same color as Toriel's. He smiled.

"Howdy! Chara, are you there? It's me, your best friend..." Suddenly Frisk skidded back as power surged and the youth before him transformed into an older monster.

"Asriel Dreemur!" When Frisk moved the arm he'd used to shield his eyes from the dust that had rose up he found himself facing a young adult monster who was dressed like Toriel.

"So you've finally shown yourself, Asriel." The voice that had said the name was the same Frisk recalled had spoken with him over the phone just before he'd returned to the castle from Alphys' other lab. _This is it... I have to settle things here and now... I have to put to rest the past..._

Holding onto the hope of the future, one of the few things Frisk found he could do, he dodged a fire attack from his opponent; it didn't surprise him that Asriel would have the same abilities as Toriel and Asgore, he knew Asriel after all and he knew whose child he faced. Suddenly the space around them warped into technicolor and it was as if they were no longer battling in the Underground as Frisk dodged countless huge stars that burst into smaller stars that soared all around the place. He looked at the menu that appeared before him and looked at another option that was labeled "dreams"... What did that do? He barely had time to skim it after selecting it; something about inventory... could it be? He didn't have time to ponder over it as Asriel drew his attention.

"You know, I don't care about destroying this world anymore." He shook his head as he spoke.

Frisk wondered what he did care about then but had little time to ponder it as he dodged a massive electric shock attack that came in several strikes, all at once like bars, but several times and moved in position. Frisk had only milliseconds to dodge out of their way though they got bigger near the end even as their number decreased to as few as three but with as big as they were Frisk wasn't lucky enough to dodge them entirely and the heat of it scorched his skin like fire even as he rolled away. _That smarts!_ He thought as he got to his feet. Frisk reached into his inventory for a glamburger, he felt better for it once he'd gobbled the thing.

"After I defeat you and gain total control over the timeline... I just want to reset everything." _So that's his goal... he wants to go back to that time... a time that is out of his reach currently._ He thought as sabers appeared in the other's hands and he had to duck the swings, but much like fighting Asgore... there were telltale signs of his movements so Frisk easily evaded the blades.

"All your progress... Everyone's memories. I'll bring them all back to zero!"

"I can't allow that!" He shouted back, even as he dodged the next barrage.

"Then we can do everything ALL over again."

"This isn't right!" Asriel didn't seem to be listening though.

"And you know what the best part of all this is?" Frisk shook his head.

"You'll DO it." What did he mean by that? Asriel pulled out a new weapon and began firing... Frisk dodged the shots. It was a strange weapon, but he didn't dwell on it as he dodged and ducked beneath the blasts.

"And then you'll lose to me again." _Wait... does he mean that...?!_ It was slowly beginning to make sense what Asriel was trying to tell him as he dodged each attack.

"And again." That gun again...

"And again!" Dang it! How long was this going to go on?!

"Because you want a 'happy ending.' " _He's not wrong... but it can't be wrong to want such an ending for others can it?_

"Because you love your 'friends.' " _I do, but they aren't just friends... they're family._

"Because you 'never give up.' " _Why would I? Why would I give up easily on the one thing I enjoy most? That I never had until I came here?_

"Isn't that delicious?" Huh?

"Your "determination." The power that let you get this far..."

"What about it?"

"It's gonna be your downfall!"

"Somehow I don't think so!"

"Now, _enough_ messing around!" _Wha?! You mean he was just toying with me?!_ Frisk didn't like the sound of that.

"It's time to purge this timeline once and for all!" Frisk took a step back as suddenly a giant skull lay before him and a furious wind whipped up as everything began flying past him. Frisk dodged all sorts of things, he didn't get a good look to really tell what anything was as it was sucked by him too fast into the vortex that was the mouth of this skull. All he could do was dodge everything and keep as far away from that thing as possible. Everything went white for a moment before the multicolors were back again and he saw Asriel, just as before.

"... Even after that, you're still standing in my way...?"

"Yes, because someone has to."

"Wow... you really **are** something special, but don't get cocky. Up until now, I've only been using a fraction of my REAL power." Frisk wasn't surprised to hear this, but he had beaten Flowey as a monstrous "god" before... how was this any different? And yet, he knew this wasn't quite the same. Before hand, Flowey had been full of hatred and simply wanted to destroy everything and everyone in it. This time, he actually had, but at the same time didn't seem to care about any of that. This time he wanted something else... _He wants that second chance... but doing it like this... it's not right... not at all!_

"Let's see what good your determination is against THIS!" Asriel seemed to suddenly grow to an enormous size and he had changed yet again. He was now half humanoid in his appearance in that he still had arms, a torso and a head but that's it. Huge wings that seemed to hold the cosmic colors of before were at his back and everything around them was black. He seemed to simply hover before Frisk who had no real idea what he was looking at anymore. Could anyone possibly describe the creature before him? Aside to say that his arms now seemed nothing more than huge gloves with hearts on them, he could not find the words to describe the form that Asriel had now taken and he was sure it didn't matter. He wasn't writing a story after all, he was just trying to fight for what he believed in. _I can't give in. They're counting on me... no matter what this means I will beat you! Somehow!_ Frisk tried to move only to find that he couldn't get his body to obey him. _What?! What is this?!_ He was down to one health point too.

"Urgh ha ha ha..." Was that a laugh?

"Behold my TRUE power!" Frisk saw the many comet-like things flying at him and he tried to dodge them with minimal success; there were just too many and one slammed into him. He felt his soul start to shatter and break. _No! I can't lose! I can't!_ HIs soul quivered and fused back together; he refused to break, he refused to go peacefully into death that awaited him. There was too much at stake here. He found himself back at full health, staring down Asriel.

"I can feel it... Every time you die, your grip on this world slips away. Every time you die, your friends forget you a little more. Your life will end here, in a world where no one remembers you..." Frisk grit his teeth, knowing that... in the end, it didn't matter. _Even if they forget me... I'm not fighting to be remembered... It might be better for them if they did forget... so that when I die they won't have anything to be sad about... but I will still fight for them! I'm fighting for life itself... for their right to live... can't you see that?_ He wondered as he dodged more of the comet-like things, but it was impossible to dodge them all and he stood panting on whatever it was that served as a floor for this place... wherever "here" was anyway. Frisk didn't know anymore, all he knew was that he had to beat Asriel some how...

"Still, you're hanging on...? That's fine. In a few moments, you'll forget everything, too."

"I refuse!"

"That attitude will serve you well in your next life!" More attacks, but was that a gap? Frisk was getting better at avoiding the things. Asriel laughed again. Why did he find this funny?

"Still? Come on... Show me what good your determination is now! Frisk gritted his teeth as he ducked and dodged, but it was no use... he felt the stinging blow that came with death, but he still refused to lose and he reappeared again before Asriel. Still he struggled against the power, trying to protect himself, to do SOMETHING... but he could barely protect his own soul as it was. Nothing was happening no matter how much he struggled. Frisk tried to reach the "save file" he remembered; wondering if that would help... but no, it was out of reach too. _I can't save... the power... it's been taken from me... but... it's not entirely gone... I sense it just beyond my reach... Maybe... maybe I can save something else instead... My friends... maybe I can..._ Grasping on to what little power he felt he still had, Frisk realized he could sense the souls of his friends in Asriel. He could save them! That was something... wasn't it? A start... he had to start somewhere... Could he save them all? Well... he had to try didn't he? He reached out towards Asriel's soul and called out to his friends... Sans and Papyrus... he felt their souls appear before him in response and the echos that came back were doubts, fears... things that he had helped them through. He could almost sense them really as he looked at his options.

"Papyrus... will you cook something for me?" The two spoke at once, as if they both were answering.

"I MUST CAPTURE A HUMAN!"

"Just give up. I did." Frisk dodged the attack of bones from the pair... this was very familiar... He didn't know why they were attacking, but he was going to do his best to get them to remember!

"Papyrus... won't you help me with a puzzle?" It was working... he could see the flicker of it, just beyond reach...

"THEN EVERYONE WILL!"

"Why even try?" _Why? Because I care..._ Frisk thought, but he had no time to actually answer as he dodged more bones.

"Hey Sans, why don't we do a cross word together? I prefer them over jumbles anyway." There! A spark in his friends' eyes! A spark of recognition!

"NO! WAIT! YOU'RE MY FRIEND! I COULD NEVER CAPTURE YOU!"

"Nah, I'm rooting for ya kid."

"Sans... Papyrus..." The two smiled at him and everything went white before he found himself before Asriel again; he knew what he needed to do. He reached for Undyne next, the soul resonated just as before... She appeared before him.

"Undyne! Will you teach me how to cook?" He hoped that would help jog her memory.

"All humans will die!" Frisk blocked the spears just as before. He tapped the soul lightly with the spear he had used to block the others.

"You're our real enemy." She was beginning to waver though. He could tell as he blocked the next barrage. Frisk gave her a big cheesey grin and saw recognition flicker into her face and he knew that was it. Her memories had been restored!

"Well, some humans are OK, I guess!" Frisk panted, he reached out once more though.

"Alphys!" She appeared before him, dressed in that dress he remembered from their date.

"You hate me, don't you...? Frisk found that this was like the fight with Mettaton as he dodged the attack.

"I need your help on a quiz!" He called out, he wasn't sure why she had attacked him before he'd been able to do anything, but it had happened.

"I've got to keep lying..." Frisk dodged more attacks, bombs this time.

"What's your favorite cartoon?!" She seemed to twitch then, as if holding back was hard.

"All I do is hurt others." Frisk ducked away from the miniature Mettatons and whipped out his cell phone, slamming on the call button after selecting Alphys' number. The ringing made her pause and he smiled as he saw the recognition in her eyes.

"No, that's not true! My friends like me! And I like you, too!" He reached out to the remaining souls of his friends, Toriel and Asgore both appeared before him.

"I won't fight you!" He didn't want to fight, with any of them; he had never wanted to honestly.

"This is for your own good." She said at the same time that Asgore also spoke.

"Forgive me for this." Frisk dodged fire from them both; he ended up near Asgore.

"I won't hurt you, no matter what." Frisk saw something flash... the two were struggling.

"No one will leave again."

"This is my duty." He dodged more fire and ran to Toriel, he hugged her.

"I'm going to see you again. I'm going to save you all... I promise..." The flash of recognition wasn't there when he pulled back. Instead he ended up dodging more fire, apparently the grip Asriel had on these two was stronger than on the others. Frisk hugged Asgore, and this time, when he pulled back he saw recognition in those eyes.

"You are our future!"

"Your fate is up to you now!" As Asriel came back into view again, Frisk swore he could feel the souls of his friends resonating with his soul; but this wasn't over... there was still someone else who needed saving... Frisk could feel the soul resonating stronger and stronger, alongside his friends and he knew this soul. Frisk reached out again, tired though he was; this had been a long fight... longer than any he remembered and he was getting tired, but...


	24. 23: Asriel

"Asriel..."

"Huh?! What are you doing...!?"

"Asriel... remember who you were... who you are..." Frisk closed his eyes as he opened himself to Asriel then, pulling forth the memories that he knew were there. His first meeting of Chara... of being a family with her...

"Wh... What did you do? What's this feeling...? What's happening to me?"

"It's oka-"

"No! NO! I don't need ANYONE!" There were more blasts than ever before, it was impossible to dodge them all, but that didn't keep Frisk from trying.

"STOP IT! Get away from me!" Frisk was low on health, but he didn't listen as he reached out for Asriel again.

"Do you hear me? I'll tear you apart!" The attack came again, but this time there were so few that it wasn't hard to dodge them all. There was a moment of silence.

"Chara... Do you know why I'm doing this...? Why I keep fighting to keep you around...?" The next attack was fireballs, but not a single one came near him. Frisk stared, had he done it? Had he been able to reach him?

"I'm doing this... Because you're special, Chara. You're the only one who understands me. You're the only one who's any fun to play with anymore." _How childish... but... in the end, he was just a child when all of that happened..._ Again the fireballs rained down, but none of them came close to him.

"No... That's not **just** it. I... I... I'm doing this because I care about you, Chara! I care about you more than anybody else!" More fireballs, but Frisk had stopped paying attention to them.

"I'm not ready for this to end. I'm not ready for you to leave. I'm not ready to say goodbye to someone like you again..."

"Asriel..."

"So, please..." The words seemed forced now, his voice so like the child he had been when all of this had started so long ago...

"STOP doing this...AND JUST LET ME WIN!" There was nowhere to run to escape the blast, it was powerful... but at the same time... Frisk felt that he was still holding something back even as his health dropped immediately.

"STOP IT!" He had to hold on...

"STOP IT NOW!" Frisk knew he couldn't; he had to save his friends after all. His health, by the time the beam had stopped, was down as far as .0000000001. He didn't even know that was possible! Still, he had persisted, had hung on...

"Chara... I'm so alone, Chara..." His wings began to fade, as did the rest of him, except his head.

"I'm so afraid, Chara..." Frisk wasn't entirely sure what was going on.

"Chara, I... I..." Suddenly everything went white. When the light disappeared, he saw Asriel, just as he had been in the memories. Nothing more than a little child who was crying out for something, someone... someone to understand him even though that someone he was crying out to was long gone.

"I'm so sorry." He wiped his face, trying to smile through the tears.

"I always was a crybaby, wasn't I, Chara?" The tears stopped and after a moment a look of sadness crossed his face.

"I know. You're not actually Chara are you?" Frisk shook his head, a sad smile crossed his features; a look that should never cross a face so young and yet... was he really so young now?

"No, I'm not."

"Chara's been gone for a long time." There was a moment of silence.

"Um... what... What IS your name?"

"Frisk." This was the first time anyone had ever asked since he'd come down here.

"Frisk? That's ... a nice name." Another moment of silence.

"Frisk... I haven't felt like this for a long time." _Asriel..._ He seemed so miserable all of the sudden.

"As a flower, I was soulless. I lacked the power to love other monsters; however, with everyone's souls inside me... I not only have my own compassion back... but I can feel ever other monsters' as well..." He smiled then, but his eyes were still a little sad.

"They all care about each other so much. And... they care about you too, Frisk." The smile he gave Frisk then was a heartbreakingly sad and happy one at the same time, he didn't know how he knew this... how he understood such an expression but it came across to him just the same and his heart went out to the young monster before him.

"I wish I could tell you how everyone feels about you. Papyrus... Sans... Undyne... Alphys... Toriel. Monsters are weird. Even though they barely know you... it feels like they all really love you." _Ah... well I'm not sure that could be said about Sans... but the others... I've come to love and care for them so much... There's nothing I wouldn't do for them._ Asriel chuckled a little before his expression became one of misery again.

"Frisk... I... I understand if you can't forgive me. I understand if you hate me. I acted so strange and horrible. I hurt you. I hurt so many monsters. Friends, family, bystanders... There's no excuse for what I've done. _Maybe not... but what child would be able to stay the course with the sort of things that have befallen you?_

"I forgive you."

"Wh... what? ... Frisk, come on. You're... you're gonna make me cry again."

"No shame in that."

"Besides, even if you forgive me... I can't keep these souls inside of me. The least I can do is return them. But first... there's something I have to do." _To do? Is he talking about what he said as Flowey?_

"Right now, I can feel everyone's hearts beating as one. They're all burning with the same desire." That sudden desire and determination flared into the young monster's eyes.

"With everyone's power... with everyone's determination... It's time for monsters to finally go free." Frisk watched as Asriel closed his eyes and floated into the air as he held out his arms, gathering the power of those inside of him all together. The same tremendous power that he had been fighting against only minutes before. There was a loud sound, like the sound of something cracking, like an egg and yet not... followed by what was like the sound of glass being shattered but... not, for it was a deeper sound that reverberated and the ever present voom that had been in the background earlier was gone. There was nothing but Frisk, Asriel, and silence now. Frisk watched as the young monster gently came down to the ground again. He turned to Frisk, but his head drooped a little and he didn't meet his gaze.

"Frisk... I have to go now. Without the power of everyone's souls... I can't keep maintaining this form. In a little while... I'll turn back into a flower. I'll stop being "myself." I'll stop being able to feel love again. So... Frisk. It's best if you just forget about me, ok? Just go be with those who love you." Frisk moved forward and drew the young monster into his arms.

"I can't forget you. It's not that simple." For a moment the other seemed shocked before he simply hugged onto Frisk and lay his head against the offered shoulder as Frisk rubbed his back, offering what little comfort he could.

"Ha... ha... I don't want to let go..." Even so, he slowly withdrew from the embrace and Frisk took a step back. Asriel looked up then, meeting his gaze.

"Frisk... you're... You're going to do a great job, ok? No matter what you do. Everyone will be there for you, okay?" The young monster turned away.

"Well... My time's running out. Goodbye." He began walking off, but after a moment he stopped and turned.

"By the way... Frisk... take care of mom and dad for me, ok?" He nodded and watched as the younger monster disappeared into the darkness. Suddenly everything became brightly white and Frisk couldn't see anything... but he heard something.

"Frisk! This is all just a bad dream...! Please, wake up!" Someone's voice was calling to him. He wasn't sure who the voice belong to but as he opened his eyes he found himself surrounded by his friends, who were looking at him with concern.

"Oh! You are awake! Thank goodness!" Toriel seemed instantly relieved.

"W-we were so worried...!" Worried? He looked over at Alphys.

"It felt like you were out forever!" _Ah..._

"Yeah! Any longer and I woulda freaked out!" Frisk smiled a little apologetically at Undyne.

"Tell us next time you decide to take a nap, okay!?" He nodded.

"Yeah. You made Papyrus cry like a baby."

"WHAT! I DIDN'T CRY! I DON'T CRY!" His gaze shifted to the skeleton brothers.

"I JUST... CAUGHT SOMETHING IN MY EYE."

"What did you catch?"

"TEARS!" Frisk just smiled a little at that; that was typical of Paps.

"Now, now. The important part is that Frisk is alright. Here, Frisk. Why not drink some tea?" Tea sounded like a good idea.

"It'll make you feel better."

"Errr... how about we give him space, first?" The group backed away a little. Frisk wasn't claustrophobic, but grateful nonetheless.

"You must be very exhausted."

"A little."

"Though, from what, I am not certain." Frisk blinked in surprise. What? Did she not remember? How could she...

"Frisk, we do not remember exactly what happened." _So then... none of them know of Asriel or remember Flowey showing up... or even why they're all here..._ Frisk wondered if that was an after effect of having been inside Asriel or was something that Asriel had done on purpose.

"There was a flower... and then, everything went white. But now the barrier is gone. When you are ready, we will all return to the surface. It seems the door to the east will lead us there now." _So then... they only remember Flowey's appearance._ Asriel's secret was safe; Frisk wondered if he should say anything though to Toriel or Asgore. _Perhaps, for now, it is better that they do not know._ Frisk knew that, while he wouldn't tell anyone about Asriel, neither could he abide by the young monster's wish and simply forget. It would take someone who was truly heartless to forget and Frisk wasn't heartless. Perhaps he had come close to being such a monster in the beginning, given what he had escaped from, but in the end... the kindness of those around him had worn away and reminded him of his own compassion, of the heart that lay within him. That was the debt that he owed those he now called family and friends.

"But before then... Perhaps you might want to take a walk?" A walk. Yes. That seemed like a good idea. He nodded.

"You can say goodbye to all your wonderful friends. Do as you wish. We will all wait for you here." He nodded, he need time on his own... to think... to process everything. As he walked into the throne room he saw the flowers there. He hadn't asked Flowey if the flower that he'd been had been taken from here... but that didn't matter now did it? He hadn't really had to ask because it had been answered for him when Asriel had appeared. Alphys had, without meaning to, revived the young prince as a soulless flower; not knowing that the flower she had chosen from the garden had held traces of the ashes of the young monster and that, alone, was likely why the experiment had worked. Something like a flower, after all, by itself did not possess the ability to gain a conscious intelligence of it's own as Flowey had. Frisk wondered if Alphys was aware that she, inadvertently, had created a monster of a different kind with her experiments with determination. Perhaps he would talk with her about it at another time. He still had so much he had not told them and had much to learn about each of them still. The one who knew him best, was also the best at playing dumb. How much did Sans remember? Well, that would be a question for later, when the two of them could speak in private again; something Frisk wasn't sure would be able to happen any time soon. He passed by Hotlands and before he knew it felt the chill of Snowdin. Where was he going? He hadn't really even spoken with anyone that he'd seen, but he had smiled at those who had offered him friendly greetings as he had passed by though he seemed to be walking through the same places that he remembered. As if he were reliving everything in reverse. For the longest time... things had been the same. He almost expected to find the Ruins still locked, but no... he could go through the doors now. Toriel hadn't locked them when she had left apparently. When he stepped through the home he almost expected that she'd be there... but no. She wasn't. She was waiting with the others at the castle, waiting for him to be ready to lead them all to the surface. _So... it's finally over._ He knew he could simply reset. Do it all over again... but did he really want to? Before he knew it he found himself in a very familiar place, but one thing was different. _Asriel...?!_

"Ah..." He was back where he'd started, the place where he had first fallen... he had not expected there to be anyone here.

"Don't worry about me. Someone has to take care of these flowers."

"Is that really why you are here?" There was no answer this time. Frisk moved over to him and he turned.

"Frisk, please leave me alone." He still looked miserable. _How can I when you make a face like that? I don't want to forget... to leave you alone to just this when you deserve so much more..._

"I can't come back, I just can't, ok? I don't want to break their hearts all over again." Frisk nodded a little, knowing that he was talking about Asgore and Toriel.

"It's better if they never see me." Frisk had no comment to that and after a moment, Asriel spoke again.

"Why are you still here? Are you trying to keep me company?" There, that brought the smile he was hoping to see.

"Frisk..." So much was said in that single word and yet, nothing at all. Asriel stared at the flowers, running his claws along the petals gently.

"Hey. Let me ask you a question. Frisk... why did you come here?" Huh?

"Everyone knows the legend, right? "Travelers who climb Mt. Ebott are said to disappear." ... Frisk. Why would you ever climb a mountain like that? Was it foolishness?" He shook his head at that one before Asriel went on.

"Was it fate?"

"Maybe."

"Or was it... because you...? Well. Only you know the answer, don't you?" Frisk smiled a little. That wasn't entirely true, but for the most part Asriel wasn't wrong.

"I know why Chara climbed the mountain." He looked up, staring up at the hole above where the sunlight streamed through.

"It wasn't for a very happy reason." _Yeah... poor Chara... I felt bad for her, in the end._

"Frisk. I'll be honest with you. Chara hated humanity. Why she did, she never talked about it, but she felt very strongly about that." _Yes... she had good reason to._

"Frisk. You really **are** different from Chara. In fact, though you have similar, uh, fashion choices... I don't know why I acted like you were the same person."

"Maybe it was just wishful thinking. After all, it is natural that we want to see those we hold so close to our hearts when we open our eyes. Be it to a new day or to a new life."

"Maybe... The truth is... Chara wasn't really the greatest person. While, Frisk... You're the type of friend I wish I always had. So maybe I was kinda projecting a little bit." He nodded, it seemed like that was indeed what Asriel had done.

"Let's be honest. I did some weird stuff as a flower." He turned back to Frisk.

"There's one last thing I feel like I should tell you. Frisk, when Chara and I combined our souls together... The control over our body was actually split between us. She was the one who picked up her empty body. And then, when we got to the village... She was the one who wanted to... to use our full power. I was the one that resisted." Frisk put a hand on his shoulder.

"And then, because of me, we... Well, that's why I ended up a flower. Frisk... This whole time I've blamed myself for that decision."

"I can't imagine any of that was easy. You were just kids."

"No, it wasn't. But... That's why I adopted that horrible view of the world. "Kill or be killed." But now... after meeting you... Frisk, I don't regret that decision anymore. I did the right thing."

"You shouldn't have in the first place. It took a great deal of bravery to remain true to yourself when faced with such a situation."

"But in the end I still... as a flower..."

"Don't feel regret now. As you said, you did the right thing."

"Yeah... I think... If I had killed those humans... We would have had to wage war against all of humanity."

"Yes. I believe that would have ended badly too; just as well things ended as they have."

"And in the end, everyone went free right?" Frisk nodded, everyone was free.

"I still feel kinda sad knowing how long it took... so, maybe it wasn't a perfect decision but you're right. You can't regret hard choices your whole life, right?" Again, Frisk nodded. Asriel had grown... even if he was still in the body of a child... he was most definitely an adult. _Just like me. Asriel... you and I are more alike than you know..._

"Well, not that I have much of a life left. But that's besides the point. Frisk, thank you for listening to me. You should really go be with your friends now, ok? Oh, and, please... In the future, if you see me... Don't think of it as me, ok? I just want you to remember me like this. Someone that was your friend for a little while." He nodded, he would remember Asriel like this. "Oh, and Frisk..."

"Hmm?"

"Be careful in the outside world, ok? Despite what everyone thinks, it's not as nice as it is here." _Yes... I know that better than anyone..._

"There are a lot of Floweys out there. And not everything can be resolved by just being nice. Frisk... Don't kill, and don't be killed, alright?" He nodded at that, although Frisk knew he couldn't guarantee that one.

"That's the best you can strive for. Well, see you." Frisk smiled a little.

"See you later, Asriel." The young monster returned the smile and Frisk left him to tend to the patch of flowers. It was a long walk back, as he made the journey he thought over all that had happened. _No... I could never forget him. Even if this is the way he wants things... it's not shouldn't have to end like this..._ Before he knew it, he was standing in the throne room again, staring down at the yellow flowers that surrounded the throne. He wasn't sure how long he stood there or when his vision began to be blurred by tears. He didn't make a sound, simply stood there, weeping over the flowers for a long while. It seemed long anyway. Frisk had no idea how long he was there before he settled down to take a nap, he was just so tired. He woke up after a while, wondering how long it had been then brushing it off. It didn't matter, not like he'd been able to tell time down here anyway. He moved on to the next room and saw his friends were still waiting for him.

"Back already? Did you see everyone?" Frisk nodded, though now that he thought about it, he had only vaguely seen them. Barely registering them as his mind had not been in the present moment on his way the the beginning grove to see Asriel,


	25. 24: The End?

There was nothing really special about the tunnel, it was the same as he remembered seeing in the ruins; the entrance had looked, though, like what Frisk remembered seeing before he had entered the Ruins. It even had a patch of grass growing beneath a small stream of sunlight. It was strange, seeing the sunlight after so long, at the end of the tunnel. It lead out onto a wide ledge that overlooked the forest that Frisk scarcely remembered having run through just to get to the mountain. He wasn't sure just how much time had passed off the top of his head. He'd have to think more on it because there'd been so many times that he remembered starting over for this reason or that... mostly because of the selfish reason, that he wasn't ready to go back to the place he'd been. The Underground had been a sort of sanctuary for him and he had not been ready to leave, but at the same time, he had been. He had always been fighting to do the best by his friends. Making mistakes along the way. Learning more and more about who he was really as well as who his friends were. Now as they stood on the side of the mountain he felt both sad and happy. He hadn't wanted things to change, but at the same time he knew it wasn't right to keep his friends down there either. The city he remembered lay off to the south while there was another mountain in the distance off to the north and the hint of a desert between the two.

"Oh my." Toriel was the first to comment.

"Isn't it beautiful, everyone?" Asgore asked and even Frisk nodded in silent agreement with that. It was indeed a lovely sight, the sun sinking down along the horizon. It would be night soon, but it was still beautiful.

"Wow... it's even better than on TV." Frisk smiled a little at that, only Alphys would have that to say.

"WAY better! Better than I ever imagined!" _Wonder what she imagined then._ As beautiful as it was, it wasn't exactly that special, even if he had been down there a while.

"Frisk, you **live** with this?"

"Yes, Undyne."

"The sunlight is so nice... and the air is so fresh! I really feel alive!" Well, he supposed it was; he watched as his other friends began to react to a place he was sure they either had never seen before - as they were too young to have - or to a place that they had long since not been able to see. If any, among his friends, had experienced this before, it would have been Asgore or Toriel, since they were older than appearances suggested.

"HEY SANS... WHAT'S THAT GIANT BALL?"

"We call that "the sun," my friend."

"THAT'S THE SUN!? WOWIE! I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M FINALLY MEETING THE SUN!" Frisk wondered at that, maybe some day he'd ask Sans about it; for now he said nothing. It was easy to forget that Sans was older than he looked, as well. Perhaps even older than Asgore and Toriel.

"I could stand here and watch this for hours."

"Yes, it is beautiful, is it not? But we should really think about what comes next." Frisk knew that Toriel was right, he hadn't really thought much beyond freeing his friends because it seemed like a near impossible task. Now that he thought about it, what were the monsters going to do? It wasn't like today's society was used to seeing them... there would be problems, no doubt because while on the whole society was accepting of something that had always been, it was not always accepting of something that was different from itself. After all, not all humans got along just for the reason that someone else was different in some way to themselves.

"Oh, right. Everyone... This is the beginning of a bright new future. An era of peace between humans and monsters." _Let's hope._

"Frisk... I have something to ask of you."

"Hmm?"

"Will you act as our ambassador to the humans?" _Ambassador? Well... I never thought of that... but..._ There was no hesitation.

"Yes."

"YEAH! FRISK WILL BE THE BEST AMBASSADOR! AND I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS...WILL BE THE BEST MASCOT! I'LL GO MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION!" Papyrus was off and running before Frisk could stop him and tell him that other humans might not be so welcoming of a walking, talking skeleton... at least not as much as he had been.

"Welp. Someone's gotta keep him from getting into trouble. See you guys." Like usual, Sans walked off a different direction than expected. Frisk figured Sans would head off his brother and maybe talk a little sense into him first... but Papyrus was Papyrus... This wouldn't change a thing about him.

"Man, do I have to do **everything**? Papyrus, wait!" _He'll be fine with Undyne and Sans there to keep him out of trouble. She might not be the best cook but she does have a good head on her shoulders._

"Hey, Undyne! Wait up!" No surprise that Alphys was off right behind her; leaving Frisk with Toriel and Asgore.

"Whoops." Frisk wanted to facepalm, but refrained; if only just.

"Uh, should I do something?" He wondered why Asgore was asking the two of them that. Was he always this way? So indecisive? Toriel gave him a look and he seemed to decide real quick then.

"Well, gotta go!" He left. It was just the two of them now. Toriel watched him leave.

"It seems that everyone is quite eager to set off."  
"I don't blame them."

"Frisk... You came from this world, right...?" He nodded.

"So you must have a place to return to, do you not?" A place to return to? No...He didn't want to go back to where he'd been. He wasn't ever going back, even if they did discover that he was still alive after all the time that had passed.

"What will you do now?" That was a good question. He thought about it a moment; well, he really had no place he wanted to go. There was really only one place he wanted to be and that was with his friends.

"I want to stay with you."

"What?" She seemed surprised at his answer.

"Frisk.. You really are a funny child. If you had said that earlier, none of this would have happened. It is a good thing you took so long to change your mind." She chuckled. _About that... I will have to tell her the truth of my past some time..._

"Well... I suppose. If you really do not have any other place to go... I will do my best to take care of you, for as long as you need. Alright?" Frisk nodded.

"Thanks, mom." He smiled, she didn't know yet just how much it meant to him.

"Now, come along." She offered her hand and he took it happily.

"Everyone is waiting for us!" He nodded and the two of them went to catch up to the others even as other monsters were emerging behind them. _I have a future to look forward to... it might be tough... but at least this time I am not alone... I have people who care for me. Still... there's one thing I have left undone... I promise, Asriel... I won't give up._


End file.
